Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) The Republic of China welcomes the US reiteration of its stance on peaceful solution to the Taiwan Strait issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Wednesday.
The ministry was responding to a statement from the White House that the United States views any threat to Taiwan with "grave concern" and rejects any use of force or any threat of force over the Taiwan Strait issue.
White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart made the statement during a routine news briefing on Tuesday while commenting on mainland China's newly unveiled white paper on the so-called "one China principle and the Taiwan issue."
Lockhart said the US government believes that peaceful dialogue and bilateral engagement between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is the "best way to move forward."
Asked about Lockhart's remarks, MOFA spokesman Henry Chen said the US stance is consistent with the ROC's basic policy toward mainland China.
"We have repeated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should forge goodwill and cooperation through exchanges and dialogue, and should resolve any bilateral disputes or differences by peaceful means," Chen said, adding that the ROC welcomes the latest US reaffirmation of its insistence on peaceful settlement of any cross-strait issue.
In its 11,000-word "white paper" released on Monday, Beijing threatened to use "drastic measures, including military force" if Taiwan delays "indefinitely" on unification talks.
The policy paper was apparently designed to pressure candidates and voters ahead of the ROC's March 18 presidential elections.
Chen said Beijing's move will only hinder progress in cross-strait relations, adding that Beijing's denial of the ROC's existence can only bring "more trouble to cross-strait ties and deepen tension." (By Sofia Wu)
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