By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-21 07:04

Beijing praised the latest decision by the UN General Assembly to reject a vote on Taiwan's attempt to join the world body Thursday, saying it demonstrates that no one can change the fact that "Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territories".

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks after the General Committee of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly decided not to include the so-called issue of "Taiwan's participation in the United Nations" on the agenda of the General Assembly on Wednesday.

"This again shows that... any act that is against the UN Charter and Resolution 2758 will gain no support of the vast majority of the UN member states, and any attempt to challenge the one-China policy and split China will doom to fail," said Jiang.

It was the 15th consecutive year the General Assembly thwarted Taiwan authorities' attempt to join the UN.

In New York, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya said on Wednesday that no matter what plots the Taiwan authorities hatch, their attempts to seek "Taiwan independence" through secessionist activities in the United Nations will never win international support.

Wang noted that the Chen Shui-bian administration, for personal and party interests, is provoking confrontation across the Taiwan Straits with intensified secessionist activities.

"Instead of offering blessings to the Taiwan compatriots, these activities can only cause disastrous consequences," he said.

"We hope and believe that the Taiwan compatriots can clearly see Chen's ulterior motives," Wang said.

Jiang on Thursday also lashed out at a US report criticizing China's religious situation, saying "China is strongly resentful of, and resolutely opposed to, the report which runs counter to the fundamental principles of international relations and openly interferes in China's internal affairs".

She was commenting on the International Religious Freedom Report 2007 released by the US State Department last Friday.

Jiang said that all ethnic groups and people across China enjoy the freedom of belief fully as entitled by law, and it is the Chinese government's long-term policy to respect and protect religious freedom of its citizens.

"This is an undeniable fact that does not allow any distortion," she said.

She said China demands Washington stop using issues such as religion to intervene in China's internal affairs, and do more to promote mutual understanding and trust between the two countries instead.

On the Dalai Lama's ongoing visit to Germany, Jiang said: "the Dalai Lama is not simply a religious figure but a political one who has long engaged in separatist activities aimed at undermining national unity under the guise of religion."

She added that China resolutely opposes any official contact between the Dalai Lama and foreign governments in whatever form.