U.S. Urged to Reject Taiwan Missile Sale

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070303/D8NKOOU00.html

U.S. Urged to Reject Taiwan Missile Sale
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Mar 3, 9:54 AM (ET)

By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) - China pressed visiting Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Saturday to reject a proposed sale of missiles to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

Negroponte was visiting Beijing on a three-nation Asian tour focused on North Korea and regional security.

In his meetings with Chinese officials, "the Chinese side expressed that it is firmly opposed to the export and sale of weapons to Taiwan and the United States maintaining official relations with Taiwan," said Qin Gang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.


Newly installed U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo during their meeting at the ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 3, 2007. Negroponte met Saturday with Chinese leaders during a three-nation Asia tour focused on North Korea and regional security.(AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, Pool)

An American Embassy spokeswoman said the U.S. government had no comment on the meetings.

FULL story at link.

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1. China warns Negroponte on Taiwan arms sales

China warned visiting US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte that plans to sell American missiles to Taiwan threatened to harm Sino-US ties, a Chinese spokesman said Saturday.

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The planned purchase by democratic Taiwan has upset the leaders of China's Communist Party, which views the island as a renegade province to be reunited with the motherland.

"In order to ensure the healthy development of China-US relations, China resolutely opposes US weapons sales to Taiwan," Qin quoted Dai as telling Negroponte during their two-hour meeting.

Ties had already cooled somewhat after US Vice President Dick Cheney's comments, on a trip to Australia, that China's military growth and recent test of a satellite-killer missile did not jibe with its stated peaceful aims.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070303/wl_asia_afp/chinausdiplomacy_070303171713