The US side has said that it was an oral mistake that the US President George W. Bush called Taiwan as "country" and "republic" in his recent speech. The US stance on Taiwan issue has not changed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue made the remarks in Beijing Sunday, saying that the US side has officially clarified its stance on Taiwan issue to China.

Zhang said the US side also expressed that the way they called Taiwan will no more be used. They also stressed that the US government has not changed its stand of observing the one-China policy and the three Sino-US joint communiquis.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2002)