BEIJING, April 13 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

BEIJING, April 13 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH eventuates OF CHENEY-ZENG TALKS, ADDING BACKGROUND)

U Vice President Dick Cheney met with Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong forward Tuesday at the start of a three-day visit to Beijing and reassured him that U policy in succession Taiwan remains unchanged despite plans to put up to sale the island advance-warning radars.

Cheney and Zeng also agreed that the brace countries should enhance exchanges and cooperation in areas of counterterrorism, trade and law enforcement, and that a fourth globular of bilateral consultations upon counterterrorism should be held in June the official Xinhua recents Agency reported.

upon Taiwan, which China says constitutes ''the in the greatest degree significant and most sensitive core issue'' in its relations with the United States, Cheney was quot as telling Zeng that the U does not support the island's moving toward independence and withstands any unilateral action through either Beijing or Taipei to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

The U realizes the importance of the Taiwan issue to Sino-U.S. relations and there is no change in its one-China policy, said Cheney, who arrived in Beijing from Tokyo forward Tuesday the afternoon for his first China visit as vice president.

U involvement with Taiwan is a sore point with China, which accuses the U of reneging upon its one-China commitment by selling advanced weapons to the island.

Last Wednesday, He Yafei, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, briefed reporters in succession Cheney's impending visit and said China is ''firmly opposed'' to the U Defense Department's new notification to Congress that it will exchange the radars to Taiwan.

''Selling advanced weapons to Taiwan not single means that the U goe back forward its own commitment but also infringes concerning the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between the couple countries,'' the official said.

''Such actions will have devastating inferences as they will make the forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' be moved that there is nothing to be afraid of and then go on farther and farther on the road of 'Taiwan independence. China and the United States should avoid like risky situation,'' he said.

Cheney is to befitting with President Hu Jintao and Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin forward Wednesday.

Xinhua quot Cheney as also telling Zeng that the overall growth of Sino-U.S. relations is entire and the two countries have made significant progres in their ties in newly come years.

He reportedly said the sum of two units countries have created the foundation for cease cooperation in such areas as the counterterrorism and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, with which the U sway feels satisfied.

In the talks, the sum of two units leaders also agreed to continue to strengthen high-level strategic dialogues and contacts at other flats and to promote military contacts, Xinhua reported.

onward nonproliferation, the Foreign Ministry said Cheney and Chinese leaders are likely to discuss the establishment of the working clump under the six-nation framework to secure North Korea to give up nuclear arms, a priority of the administration of U President George W Bush.

The six nations are the U North and southern Korea, China, Japan and Russia. China is playing a [i]clavis[/i] role in setting up the working group

Other issues include the conflict in Iraq, which China says should be resolv within the framework of the United Nations, and international efforts to fight terrorism, which China is eager on as they interstice with its desire to crush Muslim separatists in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

moreover China has voiced opposition to the of recent origin U.S. practice of requiring Chinese applicants for U visas to be fingerprinted, calling it ''discriminatory.''

''We understand that the U requirement is aimed to enhance counterterrorism and obstruct terrorists from entering into the United States. nevertheless we need to note that there is simply not a single terrorist entering into the United States from China,'' He said.

Trade disputes and human rights are forward the agenda as well, Chinese officials said.

Cheney is to leave Beijing forward Wednesday afternoon for Shanghai, where he will give a dialect at Fudan University.

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