China on Sunday said it appreciates Germany's opposition to a "referendum on United Nations membership" to be conducted by Taiwan authorities and opposition to any attempt seeking "Tibet's independence".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu made the remarks Sunday night when asked whether China-Germany relations have overcome previous difficulties and started to turn better.

Jiang was reminded that Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi would meet with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a six-nation foreign ministers' meeting on Iran nuclear issue to be held on Jan. 22, and that German Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Sigmar Gabriel would visit to China later this month.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to its friendly ties with Germany and has always taken a strategic and long-term perspective in studying and handling the problems in bilateral relations," Jiang said.

For some time recently, the two sides had conducted consultation for many times to overcome the difficulties in bilateral relationship and foster a stable and healthy development of China-Germany relations, she noted.

She said Germany had expressed the view that the German government attaches great significance in developing its relationship with China, and would continue to firmly adhere to one-China policy, recognize that Taiwan and Tibet are parts of Chinese territory, firmly oppose Taiwan's "referendum on UN membership" and would not support or encourage any attempt seeking "Tibet's independence".

China appreciates Germany's aforesaid stance, Jiang said, noting that China is willing to make joint efforts with Germany in compliance with the basic norms of dealing with international relations such as mutual respect, equal treatment, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, so as to push forward healthy and stable progress of bilateral ties.

China-Germany relationship was much affected by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting in last September with the Dalai Lama, whom China viewed as an exiled separatist under the religious disguise.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2008)