(September 1, 1999) The Chinese government and people firmly oppose any attempt by any country to include Taiwan in the Theatre Missile Defense (TMD), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said in Beijing on August 20.

Zhu said that recently Lee made his "two states" remarks, which were met with strong opposition by the Chinese people and criticized by the world opinion and that Lee and the Taiwan authorities have no intention of mending their ways, but talk about joining the TMD, further exposing their vicious intentions to resist reunification and split the motherland by attempting to strengthen the military.

Lee and the Taiwan authorities need to be aware of the fact that separatist activities and pushing for Taiwan independence will go nowhere and are doomed to failure, Zhu stressed.

What needs to be pointed out, Zhu said, is that including Taiwan in the TMD in any way by any country is a violation of China's sovereignty and a serious threat to China's national security and something that will certainly encourage the independence of Taiwan and put a barrier in the way of China's peaceful reunification and affect the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

He went on to say that the Chinese government has repeatedly stated China's principled stand on the TMD issue to the U.S. government and it demands that the U.S. honor its commitment to the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and clearly understand the seriousness and danger of Lee's "two states" remarks and halt arms sales to Taiwan, and, especially, commit itself not to providing TMD and relevant technology and equipment so as not to destroy the peace and stability in the Taiwan straits and the region and not to damage Sino-U.S. relations, he said.