US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defence Agency chief Yoshinori Ono held a high-level meeting of the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee in Washington Saturday. Following the meeting, the two sides issued a joint statement that listed 12 common strategic objectives of the two countries in the Asian and Pacific region, and also listed the Taiwan question as one of their "common strategic objectives". Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs. The joint statement over the Taiwan question by the United States and Japan interferes severely with China's internal affairs.

Nine years ago in 1996, the then US President Bill Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro issued a joint declaration on US-Japan security based on the US-Japan security treaty. The statement pointed out that in case there happen any military disputes around Japan, the United States and Japan have an obligation to make joint defence. Since then the US and Japanese officials in charge of foreign affairs and national defence have held a meeting of bilateral consultative committee almost annually and issued a joint statement.

But it has not been clearly expressed if the Taiwan question is contained in the US-Japan security alliance. The joint statement issued by the US and Japan this year mentioned the Taiwan question for the first time. And it is the first time for the joint statement to list "encouraging the peaceful resolution of issues concerning the Taiwan Straits through dialogue as one of their common strategic objectives in the Asian and Pacific region.

It is known to all that the two countries of the US and Japan have benefited from China's economic development. Several years ago the US and Japan claimed "China's economic threat" and now the theory appears to have receded. Since last year, the US and Japan have started a new round of "China military threat", claiming China is the biggest issue to US-Japan "security guarantee". In fact, it is not difficult to know which country has the most threatening military strength if comparing with the national defence expenditure of the three countries: China's military expenditure is more than 20 billion US dollars, that of the US more 400 billion US dollars; and that of Japan some 50 billion US dollars. China has always carried out a defensive national defence policy and has never invaded other countries or has never an ambition to have military interference in any other countries. The US-Japan claim of "China's military threat" will be nothing but an excuse of their military expansion in the Asian and Pacific region, and the US and Japan will pave a way for their aggression and interference in China's sovereignty.

It is without doubt that the Chinese people wish to have a more stable Taiwan Straits situation than any other countries do in the world and do wish a peaceful settlement for the Taiwan question than any people do in the world. The Chinese government has more than once expressed that it will try its utmost to seek a peaceful settlement over the Taiwan question with the most sincerity, which shows the extreme sincerity on the part of the Chinese government for striving for a peaceful unification prospect. An anti-secession law to be made by the Chinese mainland is aimed at opposing and restraining the splitting forces of "Taiwan independence" and maintaining the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. That is for the interests of the peace and security in the Asian and Pacific region in line with the common interests of the international community including the United States and Japan. In the first place, when the US and Japan hold security negotiations they should discuss their own bilateral issues instead of saying something about China's internal affairs including the Taiwan question. And even more they cannot list the Taiwan question as one of their "common strategic objectives".

If the US and Japan really want to maintain the security and stability in the Asian and Pacific region, they should abide by their promise made on the issue of Taiwan and firmly maintain "one China" principle. They should not do anything encouraging the forces of "Taiwan independence" and anything damaging the peace and stability in the Asian and Pacific region. Only doing so can be conducive to the stability and development of the relations between China and the US, to that between China and Japan, and to the security and peace of the Asian and Pacific region as a whole.

By People's Daily Online