Washington - The US yesterday announced it was sending senior diplomats to Beijing and Taipei this week in a new move to calm new tensions over Taiwan.
The US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, said the missions would precede her meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Tang Jiaxuan, when she intends to make a direct appeal for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
At the White House, President Bill Clinton said he told President Jiang Zemin by telephone that the US would have serious concerns with "any abridgment" of the peaceful dialogue between China and Taiwan.