WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States welcomed the start Thursday of historic talks between China and Taiwan aimed at consolidating a dramatic rapprochement and building trade ties.
"We believe it's important for the two to work toward a peaceful resolution of the ... cross-strait issues," Gonzalo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman, told reporters, referring to the Taiwan Strait.
"Our understanding is that they had a good conversation. And we are hoping that they will continue in the future," he said.
As they began their historic talks, China and Taiwan agreed on Thursday to set up their first ever offices in each others' territories.
Both sides said the restart of the dialogue, which China suspended a decade ago as relations between the long-time rivals plummeted, would be able to serve as a platform for further improving ties.
The talks got off to a positive start, with the two semi-official bodies involved in the negotiations agreeing to establish bureaus in each others' territories and chief Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin accepting an invitation to visit Taiwan this year.
The bodies represent China and Taiwan in direct talks since the two sides, which split at the end of a civil war in 1949, have no formal diplomatic relations.
Washington pursues a so-called one-China policy in which it recognizes only the Beijing government of mainland China, even if it maintains what it calls close unofficial ties with the people of Taiwan.
Gallegos neither confirmed nor denied US media reports that top US officials are holding up an 11-billion-dollar arms package and a delivery of dozens of F-16 jets for Taiwan, possibly until President George W. Bush leaves office.
"We follow the Taiwan Relations Act. This is something we take very seriously. There's an interagency process to determine what sales of defense products will be sold to the Taiwanese," he said.
"It's an interagency process that, when it is concluded, we go to Congress and notify them of the intent. When all of that has been accomplished, we'll proceed. We're not at that point yet," Gallegos said.
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