March 17, 2002	Sunday	Muharram 2, 1423

BEIJING, March 16: China, using its strongest language against the United States in months, accused Washington on Saturday of “nuclear blackmail”.

State television said Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing called in US Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr to deliver “solemn representations” on a Pentagon nuclear policy review and a visit to the United States by Taiwan Defence Minister Tang Yiau-ming.

It said Li protested strongly at a US policy review reported to describe contingency plans to aim nuclear weapons at China, among several other countries.

“China wants to make it very clear that China will never yield to foreign threats, including nuclear blackmail,” the television report quoted Li as telling Randt.

“The days when China could be bullied are gone forever,” he was quoted as saying.

Threats would “simply increase the determination of the Chinese people to safeguard their sovereignty”, he added.

Li also accused Washington of encouraging independence activists in Taiwan by allowing Tang in and letting him meet senior US officials.

Beijing was particularly incensed by Tang’s talks with U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, the highest-level documented U.S.-Taiwan defence talks in at least 22 years.

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Tang’s visit, and his meeting with Wolfowitz at a private conference in Florida, jeopardized a recent warming in Sino-U.S. ties.

The talks focused on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and were seen by some analysts as a U.S. bid to counter China’s growing military power.

PRETEXT: On Wednesday, an official Chinese newspaper accused Washington of using the policy review as a pretext to resume nuclear tests and develop new nuclear arms to extend its military dominance in the world.

But Li’s language was the strongest China has used against the United States in many months and stood out sharply against the background of improved ties since Beijing backed the U.S. “war on terror”.

Li accused Washington of breaching three joint communiques, which paved the way for a normalization of ties, by offering Taiwan advanced weapons.

“The United States must abandon the idea of Taiwan as an unsinkable aircraft carrier,” he was quoted as saying.

“Taiwan has been a burden on the U.S. shoulders for more than half a century. We don’t see any good in the U.S. continuing to shoulder that burden,” he said. “It will simply drop a stone on its own toes.”

In the three communiques, Washington recognized Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, promised to reduce arms sales to the island gradually and to maintain unofficial links to Taipei.

President George W. Bush reaffirmed that recognition of Chinese sovereignty during a visit to Beijing last month, but he also said Washington would honour its commitment to protect Taiwan in the face of attack or provocation.

Last year, Bush said he would do “whatever it took” to help Taiwan repel any Chinese invasion.—Reuters