China has vowed to persist in its efforts to push the six-party
talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue ahead, said Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao at a regular press conference on
Thursday.
Liu said that the fourth round of talks has been stalled for
political and external reasons, but all participating nations --
China, the US, Russia, Japan, south and north Korea -- have
expressed their support for negotiations to resume.
The two rounds earlier in the year allowed negotiations to begin
on substantial questions and reaffirmed commitments to developing a
solution through peaceful negotiations.
The parties have presented proposals and plans on the issues and
"reached consensus in principle on an early adoption of first-stage
measures to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,"
stated Liu.
In reference to former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui's trip to
Japan, Liu said the Japanese government made a "wrong decision" to
issue Lee a visa, and China is closely following the ongoing
visit.
China hopes that Japan will adhere to its promise not to let Lee
become involved in any political activities and that it will "take
measures to disallow any vile impacts of his visit."
Two Chinese nationals have been confirmed killed and 13 others
injured in the catastrophic tsunami that hit South and Southeast
Asia last Sunday.
Liu said that one of the dead was from the Hong Kong Special
Administration Region and the other from
Taiwan. Three of the injured are from Hong Kong, four from
Beijing, three from Zhejiang
Province, two from Shanghai, and one from Yunnan
Province.
Liu said the Chinese government is exerting the utmost effort to
rescue Chinese citizens stranded in the tsunami-hit regions.
"The Chinese government expresses condolences to the Chinese
compatriots who fell victim to the disaster and wishes to help
people in disaster-hit countries to rebuild their homes as soon as
possible," Liu said.
Although China is a developing country with a relatively low per
capita GDP, it will not stint in providing assistance for the
disaster-hit neighbors, Liu said.
Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing held an emergency interdepartmental meeting on
December 29 and decided to greatly increase the amount of aid in
terms of both goods and monetary donations. It has already donated
21.6 million yuan (US$2.6 million) worth of relief goods.
China will send a medical team comprising more than 100 members
to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, as well as a 35-member rescue team
headed by Zhao Heping, deputy director-general of the State
Seismological Bureau.
The Ministry of Health is preparing other medical teams to
travel to the region, including 15 experts in epidemiology and
infection going to Phuket, Thailand. Twelve surgeons from south
China's Guangdong
Province will also head for Thailand on Friday. Five DNA
experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences will help Thai
officials identify bodies.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2004)