Senior military officials stressed China's sincere wish for peaceful reunification and firm determination to crush splittist activities during meetings with the United States' top military official.

Meeting Wednesday with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, the highest ranking US military officer to visit China since 2001, General Liang Guanglie, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army endorsed a sound relationship between the two armed forces.

But Liang also enunciated China's "one country, two systems" and "peaceful reunification" stance on the Taiwan question.

In the separate meetings Wednesday afternoon, both General Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of Central Military Commission and Cao Gangchuan, defense minister, said China would strive for peaceful reunification of the country.

"We respect Taiwan compatriots' wish to seek democracy. However, we can absolutely not accept and tolerate Taiwan authorities using democracy as an excuse to pursue independence, and use the 'defensive referendum' to split Taiwan away from China," Guo and Cao were quoted as saying by a Chinese military spokesman.

Myers said the US Government adheres to the one-China policy, and hopes to maintain stability in the Taiwan region. He said a sound relationship between the two big nations and their armed forces is crucial to safeguarding international and regional stability.

(China Daily January 15, 2004)