US and China have a lot of mutual understanding on the Taiwan question, a leading US security expert said yesterday.

"It's very clear that the words of Taiwan leaders on referendum in the UN do not represent the policy of the US," said Anthony H. Cordesman, who holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Diplomacy has a major role to play in the matter, he said, which means China and the US should cooperate to avoid a conflict. They should enhance mutual understanding to resolve the Taiwan question peacefully.

The former director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense corroborates Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas J. Christensen, who said on Friday that the US has warned that the content of the referendum is "ill-conceived and potentially quite harmful."

Energy war

On the so-called energy war, Cordesman said "nobody (has) won but anybody could lose" so nations have far more to gain by cooperating on researching substitutes for oil as fuel. People should not focus on China's rising demand for energy while looking at Asia because "about 70% of the increase in Asian demand comes from countries other than China."

He urged all developed economies to stop trading their carbon emission quotas with developing countries because "it doesn't make any sense" in the fight against global warming.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will make China a more popular destination, Cordesman said. "The US and China and other countries have begun discussing the best way to deal with the security issue during the Olympics. There should be a great deal of intelligence sharing," he said.

Cordesman has given a series speeches in 11 universities and participated in some academic exchanges on visits to China.

(China Daily September 18, 2007)