China has urged the United States to immediately cease arms sales and other military links to Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday.

The arms sales have "rudely interfered in China's internal affairs, endangered Chinese national security and peaceful unification, and disturbed the improvement and development of China-US relations," said the spokesman when commenting on the Pentagon's recent announcement it would sell Patriot II anti-missile equipment upgrade systems and P-3C anti-submarine warfare aircrafts to Taiwan.

"China firmly opposes arms sales by the US government to Taiwan, and this has been our consistent and clear stance," Liu said.

He said the cross-Straits situation remained "highly complicated and sensitive", and urged the United States to "stop sending any misleading signals" to separatist forces with designs on Taiwan's independence.

Liu also said China firmly opposed attempts by US Congressman to introduce a bill to the House of Representatives backing United Nations membership for Taiwan.

"We are resolutely opposed to such moves," he said.

Myanmar issue

Asked about China's views on recent developments in Myanmar, Liu said "China has played and will continue to play a constructive role in the Myanmar issue".

China has supported mediation efforts by the UN secretary-general and his special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and would sincerely like to see a peaceful, stable, democratic and developing Myanmar, Liu said.

Database

Responding to reports that China is building databases on foreign journalists who would cover the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Liu said they are inaccurate. There are no such databases, nor any plan to build them.

He clarified that the Foreign Ministry, authorized by the State Council, is in charge of foreign reporters' affairs. The ministry will join hands with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) to provide quality service to foreign reporters covering the Games.

(China Daily 11/14/2007 page2)