Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed his views on the Taiwan and Tibet issues to his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush during talks over the telephone held Wednesday, a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

During the talks, President Hu voiced his appreciation of the U.S. stance, repeated many times by Bush and his administration, that the U.S. adheres to the one-China policy, abides by the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, opposes "Taiwan independence" and a referendum on Taiwan's U.N. membership, and is against Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations and other international organizations, which only sovereign countries can join.

Hu also expressed hope that the Chinese and U.S. governments will continue to make joint efforts to secure peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

He said it is China's consistent stand that the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan should restore consultation and talks on the basis of "the 1992 consensus," which sees both sides recognize there is only one China, but agree to differ on its definition.

Hu also expressed his expectation that the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan will make joint efforts and create preconditions to formally end their hostility through consultation, to reach a peace agreement, to construct a framework for peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, and to usher in a new situation of cross-Straits relations.

Talking about the recent Lhasa riots, Hu said they were by no means "peaceful demonstrations" or activities of "non-violence" as claimed by the Dalai Lama clique, but undisguised serious and violent crimes.

No responsible government would sit by and watch when faced with this kind of violent crime, which gravely violated human rights, seriously disrupted social order, and seriously endangered the safety of public life and property, he added.

Hu said the Chinese government's policy toward the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent, and the Chinese government has all along kept in touch with his side with great patience.

President Hu further reiterated the government's willingness to continue contacts and consultation with the Dalai Lama, as long as he truly abandons advocating "Tibet independence" and stops activities aimed at splitting the motherland, especially activities to fan and mastermind violent crimes in Tibet as well as in some other regions and to sabotage the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, and accepts that Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China.

Hu and Bush also exchanged views on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula and other matters of mutual concern.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2008)