China firmly opposes any form of military cooperation or contact between the United States and Taiwan, as it violates the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiquis.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks Tuesday when asked to comment on the newly-signed US Defense Authorization Bill for fiscal year 2003 passed by the US Congress.

China had on many occasions made representations to the US government on the bill and the US side had made clear time and again its opposition to the Taiwan-related provisions in the bill, Liu said.

The Taiwan-related contents of the bill, though weakened, still violated US commitments to China on the Taiwan issue. China resolutely opposed the provisions of the bill which sent wrong signals to proponents of "Taiwan independence," he said.

China urged the United States to adhere to the one-China policy and abide by the three Sino-US joint communiquis and its commitments to oppose "Taiwan independence." The United States should desist from meddling in the Taiwan issue to avoid damaging Sino-US relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, which was crowned with a success, has injected new vitality into the growth of bilateral ties, the spokesman said.

President Putin and President Jiang Zemin reviewed the course of development of Sino-Russian relations over the past decade, formulated plans to promote the strategic partnership of bilateral cooperation, and also defined the direction and major areas for future cooperation, Liu said.

The two presidents, he added, also exchanged views on major international issues and reached wide-ranging and significant consensus.

Moreover, the two presidents signed a lengthy joint statement of the two countries concerning politics, trade and economics, science and technology, education, culture, and other areas, as well as on major consensus concerning some important international issues and a number of Asia-Pacific regional issues, the spokesman said.

When asked to comment on the preemptive anti-terrorism strikes proposed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Liu said that all countries must abide by international law and the United Nations Charter in the fight against terrorism.

Liu said China firmly supports the fight against all forms of terrorism, but strikes should based on conclusive evidence, clear-cut targets and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international codes of conduct.

All this is also the common understanding of the international community, he said.

China is willing to further ties with India and to build on their steady development in recent years, the spokesman said.

Liu said the two nations continued frequent high-level exchanges, reinforcing political trust and expanding trade and economic cooperation, as well as promoting exchanges in other fields.

China welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India and believed Russia would play a positive role in promoting stability in south Asia and dialogue between India and Pakistan, Liu said.

(People's Daily December 4, 2002)