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China 'sincere' about ties with Vatican
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-18 08:38 China said Tuesday it is
sincere in its efforts to establish formal relations with the Vatican after a
50-year break, but Beijing insisted the Holy See consider Taiwan an integral
part of China.
Both China and the Vatican have expressed interest in
recent weeks in forming diplomatic relations. China cut ties with the pope in
1951 and refuses to have any contact with Vatican that maintain official
relations with Taiwan.
The Vatican is the only European government that
has official relations with Taiwan.
"We are sincere about establishing
ties with the Vatican," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said. He also
expressed hope that under Pope Benedict XVI, "the Vatican will create favorable
conditions to normalize relations."
"The Vatican must follow the decision
of the international community to treat Taiwan as an inseparable part of China,"
Kong said at a regular news briefing.
A former top Vatican diplomat,
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, told reporters in Rome that "if they give us the
possibility, we're ready tomorrow" to normalize relations with
Beijing.
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