China Tuesday urged Japan to respect China's rights and concerns
when salvaging a sunken boat in the Chinese exclusive economic
zone.
The salvaging is governed by Chinese laws and involves various
elements such as the sea environment and fishery resources, said
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan.
Two months ago, patrol vessels of the Japanese Maritime Safety
Agency chased and fired at an unidentified ship in China's
exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea. The Chinese
Government has expressed serious concerns about the incident,
requesting Japan's respect of China's rights, interests and
concerns.
Kong said that according to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea,
the rights of the coastal country should be considered in its
exclusive economic zone.
Kong said that China has sent law enforcement boats to the sea area
in question.
In
other news, Kong expressed serious concern about Taiwan's plan to
rename its representative offices abroad.
"If they are to reflect a separate identity for incremental
independence, it will meet opposition from Chinese people,'' Kong
said.
Currently the representative offices go by such names as trade
missions, special delegations or Taipei economic and cultural
offices in countries that do not recognize Taiwan.
Taiwanese media reported that the names would be changed to either
the "Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office'' or the "Taiwan
Representative Office.''
"This can only increase the tension between the two sides, and the
Taiwanese authorities will 'pay for it,' '' Kong said
Kong called on countries with diplomatic relations with China to
guard against this act by Taiwan to create two Chinas or one China
and one Taiwan.
"We call on the states to honour their commitments on the Taiwan
question,'' Kong said.
The spokesman also warned the United States against selling arms to
Taiwan. He was referring to media reports that Taiwan wanted to buy
30 US-made AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters.
"The sale of weapons by the United States undermines bilateral ties
and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits,'' Kong said.
Kong said that Chinese Government has always opposed the "Taiwan
Relations Act'' and has urged the United States to abide by the
three communiques between China and
the United States.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin's impending visit to Viet Nam will
accelerate the development of Sino-Vietnamese relations in the 21st
century, said Kong Quan.
He
said the visit which begins Wednesday, will have great significance
and a profound influence on bilateral ties between the two
neighboring countries, which normalized relations in 1991.
Jiang, also the general secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China, is making the three-day official goodwill
visit at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nong Duc Manh and the
Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong.
(China Daily February
27, 2002)