A team of Chinese police has been sent to Kyrgyzstan to assist
local officers in investigating the murders of 21 people, including
19 Chinese, on a bus in Kyrgyzstan on March 27, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing Tuesday at a
routine press conference.
Liu said the Chinese police, with the permission of the Kyrgyzstan
authorities, would also deal with problems arising from the
incident.
The passengers on the Chinese international long-distance bus were
shot by armed bandits before the vehicle was set alight in
Kyrgyzstan. The bus started from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan,
for Kashi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest
China.
The precise identities of the casualties are still being verified,
Liu said.
He
said Kyrgyzstan's foreign minister immediately informed the Chinese
government of all matters related to the incident, and extended his
condolences to the Chinese victims' families.
China and Kyrgyzstan have maintained close contact since then.
Liu said China always attached much importance to the safety of
international long-distance transport and required Kyrgyzstan to
take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of international
transport from China.
US Accusations of China's Human Rights Situation Opposed
When asked to comment on the report on China of the Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices for 2002 just released by the US State
Department, Liu said the report disregards facts and reprehends
China for no reason.
"We express our strong displeasure and resolute opposition to the
baseless criticism of China's human rights situation with no regard
to the facts,'' he said.
The Chinese government has always devoted itself to the promotion
and protection of human rights and basic freedoms, and has scored
great achievements in this regard, which is a
generally-acknowledged fact, said Liu.
The Chinese government and people of all ethnic groups are building
up brighter futures with full confidence, he noted.
Liu said in answering this question he would like to advise the US
side to think more about its own problems, to stop intervening in
other countries' domestic affairs under the pretext of human
rights, as well as to give up its double standards on human rights
so as not to continue breaking its faith in front of the whole
world.
Economic Aid to DPRK
In
response to reports that oil supply to the DPRK from China was
temporarily interrupted recently, Liu said that China will
continuously do what it can to provide necessary economic aid to
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The Chinese government has adopted such a policy for along period
and would "continue to do so in the future within its power," Liu
said.
Replying to reports that the DPRK fired a missile into the Yellow
Sea on Tuesday, Liu said he needed to know more details before
commenting. But he reiterated that "actions which escalate the
situation on the Korean Peninsula should be avoided."
China has always held that all sides concerned should remain calm
and restrained in order to safeguard peace and stability on the
peninsula, he said.
Peace Efforts in South Asia Continued
China will continue to promote talks between India and Pakistan and
urge a peaceful solution to their disputes, said Liu Jianchao.
Liu said that during Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's phone
conversation with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on March 31,
Li expressed China's concern about the no-contact, no-dialogue
impasse between India and Pakistan, which were both friendly
neighbors of China.
Li
said the India-Pakistan problem had a long, complicated history and
could only be solved through dialogue. China had long been engaged
in promoting peace between the two sides to persuade them to resume
talks and avoid a deterioration of the situation.
Liu said Li also briefed Straw of Pakistani Prime Minister Mir
Zafarullah Khan Jamali's recent China visit, and reiterated China's
willingness to work with the international community, including
Britain, for peace and stability in South Asia.
Preparation for Cheney's China Visit Still Under Way
Preparation for US Vice-President Richard Cheney's China visit is
still under way, Liu said.
He
told the press conference that when Hu Jintao visited the United
States as Chinese Vice-President last year, he invited
Vice-President Cheney to visit China. "The two sides are now having
discussions and consultations preparing for Cheney's visit to
China," Liu said.
Blair's China Visit Postponed
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's planned China tour will be
postponed, spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
The decision was made by the British government after consultation
with the Chinese side, Liu told the regular press conference.
China understands such a decision and welcomes Blair to visit China
at appropriate time, Liu added.
China "Safe" Despite SARS Epidemic
China is taking active measures to prevent the severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) which has been reported in Guangdong,
Beijing and Shanxi, and it is safe to live in or visit the country,
spokeman Liu Jianchao said.
Only Guangdong, Beijing and Shanxi reported cases of the disease,
and both central and local governments and health authorities had
worked hard to control the disease, and their efforts were "praised
by experts of the World Health Organization," he said.
China's national center for disease prevention and control had
drawn up a technical scheme for local health authorities to control
the disease, including criteria for the diagnosis of SARS patients.
The health department of Guangdong Province had also taken
sterilization measures in some public places, Liu said.
Most Guangdong patients had gradually recovered and been discharged
from hospital, and cases in Beijing and Shanxi failed to spread,
Liu said.
The Ministry of Health had ordered provincial health departments to
tighten surveillance and control of contagious respiratory
illnesses during the spring, he said.
"As long as proper preventive measures are taken, it is safe to
live in or visit China," Liu said.
He
expected local authorities to publish new data on the epidemic
shortly.
(China.org.cn edited from Xinhua News Agency, April 2, 2003)