Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the Chinese side does not advocate using such terms in international relations, stressing that in global affairs all countries should treat each other as equals.

"We always advocate the principle of equality of all countries when dealing with state-to-state relations, otherwise it can only undermine the atmosphere for seeking resolution and harm the maintenance of world peace and stability," the spokesman said.

Kong said there was no change in China's support for the anti-terrorism war, but insisted that any attacks should be backed up with ample evidence, calling for a bigger role for the United Nations.

He stressed China's crackdown on East Turkistan terrorists was part of an internal anti-terrorism campaign.

These terrorists have long been trained, financed and supported by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaida organization, Kong said.

"We have plenty of evidence showing that they have carried out all kinds of terrorist activities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and other countries at the cost of lives of innocent civilians," Kong said.

He said that East Turkistan joined Taliban forces in the fight in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Kong said China welcomed Bush's remarks on strengthening US-China cooperation.

Bush delivered his State of the Union address on Wednesday, indicating he wished to step up cooperation with China and other countries for world peace and prosperity.

"We believe that the exchanges of cooperation between our two countries are in the interest of the two countries as well as for world peace and stability," Kong said.

(China Daily February 1, 2002)