China defiant after U.S. warning on Taiwan

China defiant after U.S. warning on Taiwan

BEIJING (Reuters): China on Thursday bluntly rejected U.S. criticism of its latest military threat to Taiwan as "crude interference", and said the issue should not be linked to its efforts to join the World Trade Organization.

"We express strong dissatisfaction and resolutely oppose this crude interference in China's internal affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said.

"Taiwan is purely an internal matter of China," Zhu told a regular news conference. "Taiwan is an indivisible part of Chinese territory."

A senior Chinese adviser on Taiwan said Beijing was oblivious to the international community's reaction to the threat to use military force against Taiwan if the island indefinitely delayed opening talks on reunification.

"We did not consider the international reaction, or how anti- China forces might respond," said Yang Lixian, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, which advises the cabinet. "We just looked at it from our country's point of view."

"There are two paths, Taiwan must choose one."

Previously, China had threatened force under only two scenarios -- if Taiwan declared independence or if there was a foreign invasion of the island.

Washington expressed its "grave concern" over the threat, issued in a cabinet policy "white paper" on Monday.

The white paper has endangered Congressional support for granting China so-called permanent normal trade relations (NTR) as part of a deal to bring Beijing into the WTO.

But Zhu said China "firmly opposes any attempt to link these issues". "We view the white paper and the issue of NTR as two entirely separate issues," he said.

The timing of China's new threat could hardly have been worse for the Clinton administration, which is trying to steer NTR through a Republican-led Congress suspicious of China and packed with friends of Taiwan.

Leaders of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee said on Wednesday a WTO trade deal with China was in peril as a result of Beijing's threat.

Committee Chairman William Roth, a Delaware Republican, said Senate support for the trade agreement was no longer "a foregone conclusion".

The Senate is also due to review a bill passed by the House of Representatives that would boost military ties with Taipei.

The Chinese adviser on Taiwan said passing the bill would have "serious consequences for China-U.S. relations", and would violate bilateral agreements on Taiwan.

"Of course we understand the democratic system," said Yang. "But as far as we're concerned, if they pass it, then we regard it as national policy regardless of who supported or opposed it."

She said the white paper was designed to make Beijing's position clear to voters in Taiwan's March presidential election. "Taiwan's people must consider that if they chose someone like Lee Teng-hui, relations will not be peaceful."

Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui infuriated Beijing last year by declaring that relations with the mainland should be conducted on a state-to-state basis.

China, which regards Taiwan as a rogue province, viewed the declaration as a dangerous lurch towards independence.

Yang criticized the three front-runners in Taiwan's election for maintaining that China was split between two sovereigns.

She voiced particular concern about Chen Shui-bian, presidential hopeful of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.

"Chen Shui-bian is pro-independence," she said. "If he comes to power and continues to advocate Taiwan independence, there will not be peace."