The BBC's Frances Harrison in Singapore: "Meetings on the sidelines have yielded the most results"

In a communique at the end of their annual meeting in Singapore, foreign ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) reiterated their "One-China" stance.

The Americans also maintained their pressure on Taiwan not to add to existing tensions, raised by the Taiwanese leader, President Lee Teng-hui.

But Mr Lee has retaliated angrily, describing China's response as "regrettable." He repeated the official line that "peaceful reunification is the long-term goal of our government and people".

Albright: Trying to lower tension

"I can't support the Chinese communist's overemphasis on nationalism and hegemonism. This is unacceptable to us," Mr Lee said in a presidential statement.

Relations became strained on 9 July, when Mr Lee said diplomacy between China and Taiwan should be conducted on a "state-to-state" basis.

Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State, said at a news conference in Singapore that Taiwan's attempts to explain the controversial statement "don't quite do it".

Mrs Albright met her Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan, for talks in which both sides are understood to have restated their long-held positions on the Taiwan issue.

During the meeting, Mr Tang warned that any US support for what Beijing calls Taiwan's "trouble-maker" president could further damage Sino-US relations, already under strain because of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

"If there occurs any action for Taiwan independence and any attempt by foreign forces to separate Taiwan from the motherland, the Chinese government and people will not sit back and do nothing," Mr Tang said in his address to Asean ministers.

American mission

The US position had been outlined by Richard Bush - who heads Washington's semi-official presence in Taipei - in talks with President Lee and other senior officials.

President Lee wants relations between equals

He said Washington would not intervene to force a resolution, adding that the US expected Taiwanese officials to avoid further "provocations".

President Lee's announcement sparked an angry reaction from Beijing, which has accused him of trying to fracture Chinese unity.

Three years ago, Washington sent two aircraft carrier groups to the Taiwan Straits in an effort to keep a lid on rising tensions between the two sides following Taiwan's first democratic presidential elections.

China's communist leadership has long held the so-called one-China concept as sacred and has repeatedly threatened to use force to prevent Taiwan from declaring full independence.

Talks in danger

Reports from Beijing indicate that a landmark visit to Taiwan by China's senior negotiator Wang Daohan - scheduled to take place in October - may be in jeopardy.

The official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that Mr Lee's decision to drop the "One-China" policy meant there was no longer any basis for talks between the two sides.

According the United Daily News, the decision to call off Mr Wang's planned visit was taken personally by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.