China appreciates Russia's attitude towards energy cooperation,
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said at Thursday's
regular news briefing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had hinted in Germany on
Tuesday that Chinese and Russian oil companies may cooperate more
closely.
According to Liu, Putin has said time and again that Russia
attaches importance to cooperation with China.
In reply to a journalist's question about a US official's recent
comment on China's rise and the Taiwan issue, Liu said that the
government will not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China in
any way or for any reason.
In an interview earlier this month with the US Public
Broadcasting Service, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage
reiterated his country's official line supporting the one-China
policy, under which Taiwan is considered part of China's
territory.
Armitage said that under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is not
required to defend Taiwan.
Liu said China and the US should develop constructive
cooperation and contribute to promoting peace and prosperity in the
world on the basis of principles enshrined in the three Sino-US
communiqués.
The National People's Congress (NPC),
China's top legislature, announced that it will enact an
anti-secession law a week ago, aiming for peaceful reunification of
the country. The draft of the law will be submitted for
deliberation at the 13th session of the 10th NPC Standing
Committee, scheduled for December 25-29 in Beijing.
Liu said the law "will be conducive to stability and prosperity
across the Taiwan Straits and the whole Asia-Pacific region."
In reply to reports that unidentified persons who forced their
way into the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in late September have now
been sent to a third country, Liu appealed for foreign missions not
to accept illegal intruders.
He said the intruders' entry to China was illegal and that they
are a threat to the security of foreign institutions as they often
force their way into embassies and international schools.
He urged foreign embassies to abide by international law and not
to accept illegal intruders. He attributed a few embassies'
indulgence as well as some foreign non-governmental organizations'
plotting as the cause of the break-ins.
"China handles these incidents with a principle of combined
consideration of domestic law, international law and the spirit of
humanitarianism," he added.
Regarding the visit of Unification Minister of the Republic of
Korea (ROK) Chung Dong-young, Liu said bilateral relations and the
nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula were discussed with various
officials.
When he met Chairman Wu
Bangguo of the NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday, Chung asked
him to pass a letter from ROK President Roh Moo-hyun to President
Hu
Jintao.
Liu said that during Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar al-Zibari's
Beijing visit China's participation in rebuilding Iraq will be
discussed.
The spokesperson announced that China will provide US$1 million
worth of materials for the Iraqi general elections on January 30,
saying it will continue assisting Iraq's reconstruction.
Liu said China has again urged Japan to reconsider its decision
to allow a visit by former Taiwan leader Lee Tung-hui, saying it
will disrupt Sino-Japanese ties.
According to Liu, Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei expressed
China's strong opposition to the Japanese ambassador, Koreshige
Anami, on Wednesday, saying Lee would use Japan's backing to incite
separatism in Taiwan.
The Japanese ambassador reiterated his government's support for
the one-China policy and said Lee would not be allowed to conduct
any political activities in Japan.?
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, CRI.com December 24,
2004)