China ramps up tone in disputes with US

BEIJING/MUNICH (AFP/Reuters) - China on Friday stepped up the pressure on the United States, voicing fresh anger over an upcoming visit to Washington by the Dalai Lama and pledging a response to a giant US arms sale to Taiwan.
With relations between the two nations deteriorating over a set of disputes, China said that it made a solemn representation to Washington about President Barack Obamas upcoming meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tibets exiled leader.
China resolutely opposes the visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States, and resolutely opposes US leaders having contact with the Dalai Lama, foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said, as quoted by the state Xinhua news agency.
It said that China made its stance clear during a visit by Obama to Beijing in November.
In a separate broadside, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a meeting of the Munich Security Conference Friday that a recently announced US arms sale to Taiwan was obviously a violation of the code of conduct between nations.
Of course the Chinese government and the people have to react. It is within its sovereign right to do what is necessary, Yang said in a speech.
China has said it will impose unspecified sanctions on US firms selling weapons to Taiwan in retaliation for the US announcement that it planned to sell $6.4 billion of arms to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.
The Chinese government and people feel indignant about this, Yang told a security conference in Germany. I do hope the US will change its behaviour ... and will stop arms sales to Taiwan.
What China has done is very reasonable and what any dignified people would do, he added.
We approached the US side very seriously on many occasions. Yet the US went ahead and forced the Chinese government and people to react. We think it is our sovereign right to do what is necessary, Yang said.
What is the central question here? Whether a country feels weak or strong, all countries should be equal and you have to put yourself in the shoes of others before you make any decision. Would you like this to be done to yourself? Of course not.
The Dalai Lama will visit Washington from February 17, according to his office in India where he fled into exile in 1959.
The White House confirmed on Thursday that Obama would meet him in the Dalai Lamas capacity as a spiritual leader.
In response, the foreign ministry spokesman said Friday: We urge the US to realise the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, to seriously treat with Chinas stance and concern, not to permit the Dalai Lamas visit and not to arrange meetings between him and US leaders so as to avoid further undermining China-US ties.
William Burns, the State Departments number three, held a 90-minute conference call Friday with envoys from China, Russia and Europe on trying to curb Irans nuclear ambitions, department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
China is veto-wielding member of the Security Council and has hesitated to step up pressure on Iran, which insists that its sensitive uranium enrichment work is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Yang, speaking in Munich, said that China wanted a mutually acceptable formula to resolve the Iranian nuclear row.
This issue has entered a crucial stage. The parties concerned should, with their overall long-term interests in mind, step up diplomatic efforts, stay patient and adopt a more flexible, pragmatic and proactive policy, he said.