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)
