Pentagon report "has ulterior motives": FM

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday refuted a recent report issued by the Pentagon on Beijing's military forces, saying that the report was filled with cold war mentality and had ulterior motives.

According to a journalist at a regular news briefing, the report suggested Taiwan would attack the Three Gorges Dam, the world's biggest hydroelectric project, to counter a possible Chinese attack.

At the ministry's regular press briefing, spokesman Liu Jianchao said if it is true, it reflects the report was filled with cold war mentality and had ulterior motives.

He said the basic principles of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" that China adheres to on the Taiwan issue will not change and the Chinese government is willing to try its best, with the utmost sincerity, to realize a peaceful reunification.

But, Liu said, China will never tolerate "Taiwan independence",neither will China allow anybody to split Taiwan from the motherland with any means. "Nothing can shake the determination of the Chinese people to reunify its motherland."

Liu said China urges the United States to take concrete steps to fulfill its commitments of adhering to the one-China policy, abiding by the three China-US joint communiques and opposing "Taiwan independence".

The spokesman also asked the United States to refrain from sending wrong signals to Taiwan so as not to harm the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and the interest of the United States itself. Enditem

China will not surrender to terrorism in any form

Liu made the remark at a routine press conference in a reply to reporters' questions. He said China and Afghanistan have a tradition of friendship and have forged good cooperation so far, vowing that China would not withdraw from the country's reconstruction project.

More than 20 gunmen raided a Chinese construction site in northern Afghanistan early Thursday, and 11 Chinese workers have so far been confirmed killed and four others wounded.

China considers the incident as a terror attack, to which should be attached great importance by various parties, especially by the Afghanistan side, Liu said, calling on the Afghanistan side to learn lessons from the incident and take more effective measures to ensure the safety of nationals of various countries in Afghanistan's territory.

China has been a target, as well as a victim, of terrorism for a long time, and that's why China supports the campaigns against terrorism in all forms, Liu noted, expressing the hope that the international community should continue effective strikes on terrorism.

According to Liu, the Chinese workers had just arrived in Kunduz province when the assault took place and they didn't even know each other very well. The attack happened at around 1:00 a.m.local time when most of the workers were sleeping.

Chinese workers did not receive adequate protection, Liu added.