BEIJING, June 23: Beijing issued a strong warning to the United States to keep off Taiwan saying any unilateral action on the decades-old reunification issue ``could lead to setbacks and possibly retrogression in bilateral relations.''``History shows that proper handling of the Taiwan question will ensure relatively smooth development of Sino-US ties. On the other hand, improper handling will lead to setbacks and quite possibly retrogression in bilateral relations,'' Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said.
Jiaxuan's comments, days before Clinton's visit to the communist country, came amidst a call to US Congressional leaders by a Taiwanese parliamentary delegation currently visiting Washington to ``force Clinton to extract a Chinese pledge against the use of force to reunite Taiwan to China.''
Acknowledging wide differences in both nations' approach to the issue, Jiaxuan in a interview to Xinhua news agency warned US to stick to bilateral agreements earlier signed and not take any unilateral standon Taiwan's reunification with the mainland.
``Proper handling of the Taiwan question is the key to sound and steady development of Sino-US relations,'' he said in the run-up to Clinton's visit here beginning June 25.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
