Beijing: Blaming the US for "serious disruption" in bilateral ties, Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday accused it of violating China`s sovereignty and territorial integrity by selling arms to Taiwan and hosting Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at the White House.
Wen said that President Barack Obama and other US leaders` recent meetings with the Dalai Lama and arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing views as a rebel province, violated China`s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"This has seriously disrupted Sino-US relations," he told a press conference at the Great Hall of People here after the conclusion of the annual parliamentary session.
"The responsibility does not lie with China," the Premier was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
However, Wen also noted that the bilateral ties experienced a good start after US President Barack Obama took office in January last year.
He hoped the US would face the issues squarely and work to improve relations with China on the basis of the three joint communiqués between the two countries which are the foundation of Sino-American relations.
Peaceful relations and mutual trust would benefit both sides, while confrontations and suspicions can hurt them, he said, and proposed the two countries should promote development of ties through dialogue, cooperation and partnership.
Wen also said China`s development will not affect other countries, asserting that the Communist nation has always adhered to the path of peaceful development.
Wen said China had never sought hegemony in the past and would never do so as a developed country in the future.
But, he said, China had always been steadfast in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, even when it was still poor.
Amid calls that China should shoulder more responsibilities in international affairs, Wen said it was still a developing country.
"Although China`s economy saw fast development in recent years, the country still has problems such as unbalanced development between urban and rural areas as well as among different regions, a large population and a weak economic foundation," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
"We are truly at the primary stage of development," Wen said, adding that big cities like Beijing and Shanghai cannot represent the whole of China.
He said China still has to make strenuous efforts to build a better-off society in all aspects.
China has to wait till the middle of this century to become a developed country of medium level, Wen said, adding it might take a hundred years or even more to realise modernisation.
At the same time, he said China is a responsible country, and has played an active role in international cooperation, and in the handling of major economic and political issues in
the world.
The country`s aid to developing countries has been unconditional, he said.
PTI
