Although response from China may suggest otherwise, a Mainland Affairs Council official said yesterday the cross-strait debate and the US' war against terrorism were totally unrelated.
As China responded to the US effort to fight terrorism following last week's attacks, it added its own terms to the definition of just what that fight is about.
China hinted that if the US is to fight terrorists it should also support China in its efforts to crush separatists. Some foreign media have taken that definition to mean that China was referring to Xinjiang -- where Muslim rebels are struggling for independence from China -- Tibet and even Taiwan.
"The cross-strait issue and anti-terrorism are two totally different issues and shouldn't be dealt with together," said Lin Chong-pin (
"We believe that the US government understands the differences between the two issues for its own interests and the stability of eastern Asia. The two sides should negotiate the cross-strait issue on equal footing," Lin said.
Earlier this week, Zhu Bangzao (
"The United States has asked China to provide assistance in the fight against terrorism," Zhu said. "China, by the same token, has reasons to ask the United States to give its support and understanding in the fight against terrorism and separatists."
While Zhu did not clarify which separatists and terrorists he was referring to, English publications like The Asian Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have interpreted that comment to be a reference to Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan.
The reports, however, did not mention why Taiwan would be connected with separatists or terrorists.
While Beijing did not elaborate on its stance, Lin said the discussion that followed has been constructive and that the government is monitoring the situation closely.
An opinion piece in The Asian Wall Street Journal on the same day as the story on China's bargaining suggested China was using the US fight against terrorism to turn ordinary Chinese against the democratic West.
"The fight against terrorism is a global trend and no country would be accepted by international society if it tried to bargain in its support for US efforts against terrorism," Lin said.
"We hope that China would evaluate the situation carefully and react intelligently," Lin said.
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