China has described the Sino-US relationship as one of the world's most influential and volatile and says it is threatened by the "ambiguous" US policy towards Taiwan.
In an article published today, just days before Premier Wen Jiabao visits the United States, the official
China Dailyquoted diplomats as saying relations were at an all-time high but added that it was risky to forecast trends.
"The ambiguous US strategy across the Taiwan Straits only serves to encourage the island's separatists and jeopardise the one-China policy as well as the political foundation of Sino-US relations," the newspaper said.
The parliament in Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, votes on Thursday on whether the island should have the right to hold referendums - a bill that China has strongly condemned as a step towards a declaration of independence. Beijing and Taipei split at the end of a civil war in 1949.
Washington shifted its diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979. It routinely says it backs the "one-China" policy and does not support Taiwan independence. But the United States remains the island's biggest ally and arms supplier.
Last week, China urged the United States to stop selling weapons to Taiwan and honour its commitment to the "one-China" policy. China told Taiwan it ran the risk of war if it pushed towards independence.
The
China Dailyalso said China and the United States shared many trade and strategic interests. Beijing had promoted six-party talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis and supported the US-led war on terrorism.
China and the United States "remain different in many ways but never before have they been so closely bound together", it said.