20100224 China demands US ‘undo’ harm to bilateral ties

China demands US ‘undo’ harm to bilateral ties

AFP AND REUTERS, BEIJING
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010, Page 1

China yesterday demanded the US “undo the damage done” by a meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, while lashing out anew over arms sales to Taiwan.

The latest angry barrage indicated tensions had not abated between Beijing and Washington.

The meeting last week in the White House Map Room between the Dalai Lama and the US president — who voiced support for Tibetan rights — had already prompted Beijing to summon the US ambassador.

“China demands that the US side seriously regard China’s position and take credible measures to undo the damage done,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) told reporters at a press conference.

He also urged Washington to “take concrete measures to uphold the sound development of China-US relations,” reiterating that they had been “seriously affected” by the Dalai Lama’s White House visit and arms sales to Taiwan.

“This is something that we don’t want to see and the US side should shoulder the full responsibility for this,” Qin said.

In an interview with CNN talk show host Larry King broadcast on Monday, the Dalai Lama said he feels love in his heart for China but believes hardliners in Beijing are in denial over their cultural “suppression” of his homeland.

“Sometimes you see some of these hardliners’ sort of policy, brutalist policy, sometimes I got some irritation for short moment,” the Dalai Lama said in Los Angeles.

“Still, yes, I have to sort of make effort to keep love,” he said.

US-China ties have been strained for months over a series of other issues — from trade and currency disputes to the future in China of Google, after it fell victim to cyberattacks it says originated in the country.

The US is also working to secure China’s support for slapping new sanctions on Iran over its disputed atomic program but Beijing has been reluctant to do so.

Qin, who again called for more talks rather than sanctions on Iran, hinted at the wider diplomatic implications of strains in the cross-Pacific partnership.

“The development of US-China relations is in the fundamental interests of both countries as well as conducive to world peace and development,” he said.

He repeated a threat to “sanction relevant US companies” over the arms sales to Taiwan, but refused to elaborate on which firms would be targeted or when.

Qin also said Google’s assertion that its computers were attacked by hackers based in China was “groundless.”

His remarks were the first direct rejection of the firm’s allegations.

China had previously defended its right to censor content on the Internet and brushed aside the hacking accusations, saying Google must abide by Chinese law.

“Google’s statement from Jan. 12 is groundless, and we are firmly opposed to it,” Qin said when asked if there had been any development in the dispute. “China administers its Internet according to law, and this position will not change. China prohibits hacking and will crack down on hacking according to law.”

“Reports that these attacks came from Chinese schools are totally groundless and the accusation of Chinese government involvement is also irresponsible and driven by ulterior motives,” Qin said.

Talks between Google and Beijing on whether the firm might be able to run an unrestricted search service have restarted, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.