China opposes Japan's overtures to Taiwan

BEIJING - China firmly opposed Japanese lawmakers' attempt to institute a law on ties with Taiwan, urging the Japanese side to be prudent in handling Taiwan issues on Wednesday.

"We firmly oppose the attempt to institute a so-called Japanese version of the Taiwan Relations Act by some Japanese lawmakers to strengthen ties with Taiwan," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua's comment came as some 70 lawmakers from the governing Liberal Democratic Party met on Monday in Tokyo to try to institute a law that would be a basis for stronger economic relations and personal exchanges with Taiwan.

According to Kyodo's report, the law will be named after the Taiwan Relations Act, a US law passed in 1979 which required the United States to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character. China has never recognized the legitimacy of the act.

"We express grave concern about the move," said Hua. "The Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests. It also concerns the political basis of China-Japan relations in handling Japan-Taiwan relations."

She urged the Japanese side to faithfully abide by principles of the four political documents including the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement.

According to the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, the Japanese government fully understands and respects the Chinese government's position on Taiwan as an inalienable part of the territory of China.

The lawmakers belong to the association of junior lawmakers for the promotion of economic and cultural exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, which is chaired by Nobuo Kishi, a senior vice foreign minister and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's younger brother, said Kyodo.