China has urged the United States to end its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, which was adopted by the US Congress in April 1979.

Enacted unilaterally by the United States, the act infringes on China's sovereignty and intervenes in China's internal affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Monday.

Kong made the remarks in response to a statement made on April 9 by Deputy US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli to mark the 25th anniversary of the Act.

The act runs counter to the three joint communiqués between China and the United States, and China has opposed it strongly from the day it was drafted, Kong said.

The three Sino-US joint communiqués are the political basis for Sino-US relations, and the United States should abide by the principles enshrined in them as well as its other commitments to China, Kong said.

Therefore, the United States should end its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and not send the wrong message to "Taiwan independence" forces, so that peace across the Taiwan Straits and the steady development of Sino-US relations are not harmed, said Kong.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2004)