China expressed strong dissatisfaction and regret over former
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's visit to Taiwan, urging
Tokyo to keep its commitments on the Taiwan issue.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu lodged the protest at
yesterday's regular press briefing over Mori's visit and his
meeting with Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian. Chen on Wednesday
conferred a special medal on Mori, after he arrived in Taipei for a
three-day visit on Tuesday.
"The Japanese government allowed its former prime minister to go
to Taiwan and meet Chen Shui-bian, a move that has ignored China's
solemn concerns. We feel strong dissatisfaction and regret about
this," Jiang said.
She said the Taiwan issue is tied to China's core interests and
forms a basis of Sino-Japanese political relations, while demanding
the Japanese government take effective measures to handle its
relations with Taiwan in a proper way.
"In particular there should not be any political contact with
secessionist forces in favor of 'Taiwan independence'," she
said.
Mori, 69, served as Japan's prime minister for about a year from
April 2000. Despite a fierce protest from China, his administration
granted a visa to Taiwan's former leader Lee Teng-hui to visit
Japan.
Six-party talks
In response to reports that US envoy Christopher Hill will
travel to China next week to discuss resuming the six-party talks over Pyongyang's nuclear issue,
Jiang said she is not able to confirm the news.
Hill, US assistant secretary of state, said on Tuesday after a
whirlwind one-day visit to Beijing that he believed the talks were
likely to resume in mid-December. The US State Department said
Wednesday that Hill is due to leave Sunday for Beijing for further
talks and will continue efforts to convene a new round of
negotiations, according to the Associated Press.
Jiang repeated China's stance on the nuclear talks, urging all
parties to work together to push forward the talks. "The date of
the next round of six-party talks is still under discussion," she
noted.
The six-party talks launched in 2003 were suspended last
November when Pyongyang walked out in protest against financial
sanctions imposed by Washington.
After carrying out a nuclear test on October 9, the North Korean
government agreed to return to the talks with China, Japan, South
Korea, Russia and the US, without indicating a specific date.
10th ASEAN+3 summit?
China is to send a high-level delegation to the 10th ASEAN+3
(China, Japan and South Korea) summit to be held in Cebu City in
the central Philippines, and expressed hope for positive results,
Jiang said.
The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Chinese,
Japanese and South Korean leaders will exchange in-depth views on
consolidating cooperation and using the 10+3 format as the main
channel to build an East Asian community.
The 10-member ASEAN is a regional organization comprising
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, the
Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
The Philippines will host the ASEAN, ASEAN+3 summits and an East
Asian regional summit from December 11 to 14.
Assassination of Lebanese minister?
Jiang voiced condemnation at the assassination of Lebanon's
Minister of Industry, Pierre Gemayel.
China hopes all relevant parties in Lebanon will maintain calm
to safeguard the country's political stability and national unity,
she noted.
Gemayel, a Christian leader in Lebanon and son of former
President Amin Gemayel, was killed on Tuesday by a gunshot in the
head when his convoy was attacked on a street in Jedeide, about 15
km northeast of Beirut.
Lebanon is experiencing a political crisis, exacerbated by UN
demands for an international tribunal meant to probe into the
killing of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February
2005, a demand neighboring Syria strongly rejects.
Envoy to attend Mexico's presidency handover ceremony,
Albanian FM to visit
Jiang said Minister of Communications Li Shenglin will attend
the presidency handover ceremony of Mexico as special envoy of the
Chinese government.
Felipe Calderon of the ruling National Action Party won the July
2 presidential election and will take office on December 1.
Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Besnik Mustafaj will visit
China from November 26 to December 1 at the invitation of his
Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing, Jiang announced.
Chinese safe in riot-stricken Kinshasa
Sources with the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic Republic of
Congo said Chinese nationals are safe despite unrest on Tuesday
that pitted riot police and UN peacekeepers against supporters of
Jean-Pierre Bemba, who lost last month's presidential election.
The sources said the local embassy had activated emergency
mechanisms and offered safety guidance to Chinese enterprises and
compatriots. No loss of life or injury has been reported so
far.
The normal lives of the more than 800 Chinese living in Kinshasa
have not been interrupted by the riot, the sources said.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)