China has appointed an ambassador in charge of the nuclear issue
in the Korean Peninsula, adding to Beijing's efforts to defuse the
nuclear weapons crisis in the area.?
Ambassador Ning Fukui is a long-time Foreign Ministry official
who is familiar with the situation on the Korean Peninsula, said
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
"He will contact, consult and coordinate with all parties
extensively," Liu said at a regular briefing Thursday. "We hope
that with the efforts of all parties concerned the second round of
talks on the nuclear issue can be held as soon as possible.''
According to the spokesman, Ning was deputy director of the
Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry from July 1995
to April 2000.
During the four-party talks in Geneva 1999 which involved the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Republic of Korea,
China and the United States, Ning was deputy head of the Chinese
delegation.
Prior to this appointment, Ning was the Chinese Ambassador to
Cambodia.
Beijing hosted the first round of six-party talks in August.
Though the talks ended without much progress, participants hoped
to meet again by the year's end.
Earlier this week, US officials said that date will not be met
and the talks may be held early next year.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said preparation for the second
round of talks is ongoing and it is premature to set a specific
date at present.
Asked to comment on European lawmakers' rejecting a proposal by
France and Germany to lift a ban on arms sales to China, Liu said
China hopes the European Union (EU) will lift the embargo, saying
the embargo is not consistent with a trend towards improving
relations between China and Europe.
Liu said: "We think the EU's ban on arms sales to China is not
in line with the sound momentum in the development of Sino-European
relations. We hope the EU can adopt measures to remove the embargo
as early as possible."
Also at yesterday's news conference, Liu said the Chinese
central government is concerned about the first severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) case reported in Taiwan since the last
outbreak and hopes the patient will recover soon.
Liu said the central government, attaching great importance to
Taiwan people's health and well-being, has been trying to promote
cross-Straits medical exchanges and cooperation.
Answering a question about Taiwan's attempt to participate in
the World Health Organization (WHO), Liu reiterated China's stance
on this issue and said Taiwan has easy access to WHO information
currently.?
(Sources including China Daily and Xinhua News Agency, December
19, 2003)