WASHINGTON - A visiting delegation from China's National People's Congress (NPC) has urged the US Congress to refrain from supporting arms sale to Taiwan, in order to promote peaceful development of the cross-strait relations.

The delegation conveyed the message during the sixth meeting under the China-US inter-parliamentary conference mechanism, co- hosted on Tuesday by Lu Yongxiang, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, and US Senator Patty Murray, head of the US Senate delegation.

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive core issue in the China-US relations, and China hopes that the US side will abide by the principles of the three joint communiques between the two countries, and handle the Taiwan issue with caution, the Chinese delegation said at the talks.

China also urges the US Congress to take concrete steps to support peace in the Taiwan Strait by refraining from supporting and promoting arms sale to Taiwan, the Chinese delegation said.

On the Tibet issue, the Chinese delegation expressed the hope that the US Congress will understand and respect China's positions, and avoid supporting and tolerating in any form the anti-Chinese activities by Tibetan splittist forces seeking independence.

Noting the China-US relationship is one of the most important relationships, the Chinese delegation stressed that the two sides should strive to promote the construction of a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, which serves not only the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region as well as the world.

The US side said that it is well aware of the related concerns of China, reiterating that the US will continue to uphold the One-China policy.

The two sides agreed that for the past seven years since its inception, the China-US inter-parliamentary conference mechanism, as an important part of the China-US relations, has been steadily increasing its influence through joint efforts. It is playing an indispensable role in boosting bilateral ties through exchanges in different forms and pragmatic cooperation in various areas, which contribute to better understanding, mutual trust and expanded consensus between the two countries.

The NPC and the US Senate set up the regular meeting mechanism in 2004, making the Chinese legislative body the fifth partner of such exchange mechanism with the US Senate. Both sides acknowledged that it is imperative to strengthen the current mechanism so as to help maintain healthy and stable development of the China-US relationship.

In addition to the discussion on issues related to the China-US cooperation in areas of trade, energy and environmental protection, the two delegations also held candid and frank exchange of views on global and regional issues of mutual concern.

It was agreed that the seventh meeting under the inter- parliamentary conference mechanism between the NPC and US Senate will be convened in China in 2012.

The meeting was also attended by Li Zhaoxing, chairman of NPC Foreign Affairs Committee and standing vice-chairman of the Chinese delegation to the China-US inter-parliamentary conference mechanism, Senator Saxby Chambliss, deputy head of the US delegation, and Zhang Yesui, Chinese ambassador to the United States.