Foreign and Military Affairs

Mainland stresses cross-Straits peace

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-24 16:07

BEIJING: A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday stressed the peaceful development across the Taiwan Straits while commenting on a US report on the weakness of Taiwan's air force.

"Compatriots across the Straits are of the same family and blood bond. We believe only the harmony among family members will benefit everyone," Fan Liqing, spokeswoman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference in Beijing.

The US Defense Intelligence Agency report, cited by the US media on Monday, said far fewer of Taiwan's 400 combat aircraft in service are operationally capable.

The report was speculated as a move of Pentagon to provide justification for Washington to grant the sale of relatively advanced F-16 jet fighters to Taiwan.

Asked to comment on the speculation, Fan said, "The deeper the peaceful development across the Straits goes, the more welfare and interests of Taiwan people will be protected and the stronger their confidence of the future will be."

"Chinese on both sides of the Straits are capable of handling the cross-Straits issues with their own wisdom," she added.

The US government announced plans to sell an arms package to Taiwan at the end of January, triggering strong protests from China.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang again called on the United States to work for the improvement of bilateral relations.

He said the US arms sales to Taiwan and US President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama "had seriously damaged China-US relations."