China is strongly opposed to a US bill that would support
Taiwan's efforts to join the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The US side has ignored China's stance and signed the wrong
bill. We are strongly against that," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Zhang Qiyue said during a regular news briefing Tuesday.
US President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on
Monday.
Zhang said Taiwan, as part of China, is not eligible to join the
WHO or participate in the activities of the WHO as an observer
according to related resolutions of the United Nations General
Assembly and WHO regulations.
The 57th World Health Assembly (WHA), held last month, adopted a
motion of the General Committee with an overwhelming majority to
refuse the proposal of "inviting Taiwan to participate in the WHA
as an observer."
"This has reflected the widely accepted consensus and
cut-and-dried attitude of the international community on this
issue," Zhang said.
She said the central government has always cared for the
well-being and health of Taiwan compatriots, and has actively
promoted technical cooperation between Taiwan and the WHO.
The Chinese delegation suggested four concrete measures to
further expand such cooperation, showing its sincerity and
constructive attitude, Zhang said.
"The channels for Taiwan to acquire health information have been
smooth," Zhang said. "The real intention of Taiwan's attempt to
join the WHO is to create 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan'
on the international arena. The conspiracy is doomed to fail."
The spokeswoman urged the US government to follow international
public opinion, realize Taiwan's political intentions, abide by the
three Sino-US joint communiqués and its repeatedly reiterated
one-China policy, and stop all action that support Taiwan's attempt
to join the WHO and send Taiwan authorities wrong signals.
"Otherwise it will damage the development of China-US
relations," she said.
In a presidential statement issued on the same day, Bush asked
the executive to "construe the Act to be consistent with the
one-China policy of the United States, which remains unchanged, and
determine the measures best suited to advance the overall goal of
Taiwan participation in the World Health Organization."
According to the spokeswoman at yesterday's briefing, the third
round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue will be held
between June 23 and 26 in Beijing.
The second working group meeting of the six-party talks will
start from June 21 to 22 to make preparations for the new round of
talks, Zhang said.
The previous two rounds of six-party talks, which involved
China, the Democratic People Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United
States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, were held in the
Chinese capital August last year and February this year
respectively. The inaugural working group meeting was held in
Beijing from May 12 to May 15, at which the six parties agreed to
meet for the third round of talks in late June.
Zhang said it is China's hope that the parties concerned would
show their utmost sincerity and flexibility for cooperation in the
spirit of mutual respect and equal consultation for progress in the
third-round talks.
After the previous two rounds of six-party talks and one working
group meeting, the six parties have reached a consensus on such
issues as peaceful solution of the nuclear issue through dialogue,
a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula as the ultimate goal, and
nuclear freezing as the first step to complete nuclear abandonment,
while addressing the security concerns of the DPRK.
China hopes the parties concerned would, based on the consensus,
continue in-depth discussions, expand common grounds to push
forward the talks, said Zhang, adding that the nuclear issue is a
complicated one, and it is unwise for any side to expect that it
could be solved after one or two rounds of talks.
According to Zhang, the major tasks of the second working group
meeting are to make preparations for talks on substantial issues
and get related documents and the working agenda ready.
The Chinese delegation to the talks, including the head of the
delegation, will remain unchanged and a press center will be set up
during the talks for the convenience of the media, Zhang said.
?
Turning to the terrorist attack in Afghanistan last Thursday
that killed 11 Chinese workers, the spokeswoman said China has
never shaken its anti-terror position despite the deadly
attack.
Zhang said that the Chinese government strongly condemns the
terrorist attack against its citizens, and has called for the
Afghan government to carry out a thorough investigation and bring
those accountable to justice at an early date.
"We also asked the Afghan government to ensure the security of
other Chinese workers in Afghanistan," she said.
Zhang said although this incident happened, China will continue
to join international efforts in the fight against terrorism, and
will continuously support and participate in the reconstruction
work in Afghanistan, Iraq and other regions.
She noted that the Afghan government attached priority attention
to this incident, and has set up a special group to make a thorough
investigation.
More than 20 gunmen raided a Chinese construction site in
northern Afghanistan early last Thursday, and killed 11 Chinese
workers and injured four others.??
Moving on to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's upcoming visit
to China on June 21 to 25, the spokeswoman said China and Syria
will sign a series of agreements on bilateral cooperation during
the visit.
Zhang said that during Bashar's stay in China, Chinese President
Hu Jintao will hold talks with him and Chairman of China's National
People's Congress Standing Committee Wu Bangguo and Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao are expected to also meet with him. The two sides will
exchange opinions on bilateral relations, international issues and
other issues of common concern.
Zhang said China and Syria have long-standing friendly
cooperative relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties,
the two countries cooperated in various fields. The bilateral
economic and trade relations have developed rapidly in recent
years.
China hopes to further enhance cooperation with Syria in various
areas, she said.
Zhang said during Bashar's visit, China and Syria will sign
agreements on bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, public
health, radio, film and television. Relevant departments of the two
sides will also hold talks and exchanges over the details of
cooperation.
She noted that besides Beijing, Bashar will also visit Shanghai.
She hoped Bashar's China visit will promote the Sino-Syrian
friendly cooperative relations to a new stage.
According to the spokeswoman, the International Seminar on the
Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence is being held in Beijing
on June 14-15 at the sponsorship of the Chinese People's Institute
of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), to mark the 50th anniversary of the
enshrinement of the five principles.
Former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen and former Indian
President Kocheril Raman Narayanan made keynote addresses at the
opening ceremony of the seminar, and Qian highlighted the vigor and
vitality of the five principles, Zhang acknowledged.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence will continue to
display its vitality however the international situation changes,
said Zhang.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, the basis of
China's diplomatic policies, have become the crucial criteria for
regulating international relations, and China conducts external
exchanges in compliance with the principles, said Zhang, adding
that some basic contents of the principles have been written into
China's Constitution.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, initiated jointly
by China, India and Myanmar in 1954, are mutual respect for
sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression,
non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and
mutual benefit, and peaceful
co-existence.??
At yesterday's briefing, the spokeswoman announced that Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the opening ceremony of the Third
Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)
in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong
Province, on June 22 and deliver a keynote speech.
Zhang also announced Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will
attend three meetings of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, from July 1 to 2, at the invitation
of Hasan Wirayuda, foreign minister of the ASEAN rotating
presidency Indonesia.
The meetings include the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of ASEAN
plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the ASEAN
Post-Ministerial Conference and the 11th Foreign Ministers' Meeting
of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
At Li Zhaoxing's invitation, Swedish Foreign Minister Laila
Freivalds will pay an official visit to China from June 20 to 25,
according to Zhang.
(Sources including Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, June 16,
2004)