December 10, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 15, 1424

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WASHINGTON, Dec 9: President George W. Bush assured the visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Tuesday that the United States supported the one-China policy and opposed Taiwan’s efforts to change the status quo.

“The US government’s policy is one China, based upon the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” Mr Bush told reporters after a meeting with his Chinese guest at the White House.

The three joint communiques that Mr Bush referred to were signed during a 10-year period from 1972 to 1982 when China was first opening to the West. These documents have repeatedly been cited as the basis for the relationship between China and the US and support the reunification of former Chinese territories, including Taiwan, with China.

Taiwan, however, has tried to go beyond this understanding and has announced that it will hold a referendum on March 20, asking the people of this tiny but rich island whether they want to join China or will prefer to stay independent.

The Taiwanese move has outraged China, which sees it as an attempt to undermine its one-China policy.

Asked to comment on Taiwan’s move, President Bush said: “We oppose any unilateral decision, by either China or Taiwan, to change the status quo. And the comments and actions made by the leader of Taiwan indicate that he may be willing to make decisions unilaterally that change the status quo, which we oppose.”

Premier Wen told the joint news conference: “We would do our utmost, with utmost sincerity, to bring about national unity and peaceful reunification through peaceful means.”

The Chinese government, he said, respected the desire of people in Taiwan for democracy, but it believed that the authorities in Taiwan were “using democracy as an excuse and (an) attempt to resort to (a) defensive referendum to break Taiwan away from China.

“Such (separatist) activities are what the Chinese side can absolutely not accept and tolerate. We also want to say that so long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will not give up our efforts for peaceful unification.”

He said peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits could only be “maintained through unswerving and firm opposition to pro-independence activity (in Taiwan).”

Premier Wen said he was particularly pleased with President Bush’s position on the latest Taiwanese move to hold a referendum as “an excuse to pursue Taiwan’s independence. We appreciate the position of the US government.”