China and Kyrgyzstan will hold joint anti-terror military exercises
on their border areas focusing on the threat posed by Eastern
Turkistan terrorists, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue
yesterday.
"There is evidence that the Eastern Turkistan forces have been
involved in several international terrorism events," said Zhang at
a press conference in Beijing.
"To carry out the UN Charter, as well relevant conventions of the
Shanghai Co-operation Organization, this is the first bilateral
anti-terrorism military exercise since the founding of the
organization."
This military exercise will not only strengthen the mutual trust of
the two countries, but also have a significant effect on
maintaining peace in the border areas of the two neighbours, said
Zhang.
China welcomes and supports the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK)'s recent plan to establish the Siniuju Special
Administrative Region (SAR), Zhang said commenting on this economic
construction strategy.
The DPRK yesterday appointed the governor of the newly-established
Sinuiju SAR, marking the official establishment of the zone.
At
a ceremony held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall here on Tuesday
afternoon, Yang Bin, President of the Holland Euro-Asia Group, was
awarded a certificate of appointment by Kim Yong-nam, president of
the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly.
The Sinuiju SAR was set up under a decree issued by the Presidium
of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly on September 12.
Being close neighbours with a tradition of friendship, China and
DPRK will strengthen their co-operation to promote, not only the
common development of the two nations, but the whole area, Zhang
said.
(Xinhua News
Agency September 24, 2002)