Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan said at Tuesday's
regular press conference that the first round of strategic dialogue
between
China and India was successful.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and Indian Foreign
Secretary Shyam Saran held talks in New Delhi on Monday and reached
broad consensus on regional and global issues.
Kong said they hold similar views on maintaining
international security and stability. He further noted that close
communication and consultation will help them increase mutual
understanding and maintain regional peace and stability. He voiced
expectations that border issues will be solved as soon as
possible.
Turning to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Kong
said China will continue to keep close contact with all involved to
ensure the six-party talks resume as soon as possible, which would
be advantageous to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia and
the rest of the world.
Kong said China had no knowledge of the existence
of a uranium-enrichment program in the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea.
He said the issue should be clarified within the
framework of the six-party talks.
Kong also said he is not yet able to confirm the
identity of the eight people who climbed over the wall of a
Japanese school in Beijing on Monday.
He said they were reported to be illegal immigrants
to China and the Chinese authorities are investigating the case
now.
He said the Chinese government is strongly opposed
to illegal immigrants' unlawful activities, like the intrusion into
foreign embassies and schools.
Kong said he hoped people involved in the case can
closely cooperate with Chinese authorities and turn over the
suspects to Chinese police.
Kong described the visit by Rowsch Nuri Shaways,
Iraqi interim government's deputy president, as "important and
conducive to Sino-Iraqi relations." He was here from January 19 to
24 at the invitation of Vice President Zeng
Qinghong.
According to Kong, Shaways held talks with Chinese
leaders to review the two countries' relationship, during which
China expressed its willingness to consider greatly reducing Iraq's
debts and help with rebuilding work.
He listed the three goals China believes the
general election on January 30 should fulfill: to safeguard Iraq's
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, to promote
national reconciliation and produce a universally representative
and authoritative government, and to help safeguard the fundamental
interests of the Iraqi people.
Meanwhile, Kong said that he hoped the eight
released hostages will return to China within a day or two. He said
they hadn't left Baghdad on Monday due to problems with the
flight.
Kong also said the UK Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw's visit last Thursday and Friday was positive. He stressed
that China made its view clear that the EU should lift the arms
embargo, which he said impedes development of their strategic
partnership.
He said it was good to hear that Straw affirmed the
EU's intentions to lift the arms embargo on China in a meeting with
US Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice.
In addition, he expressed his hope that the EU will
recognize China's full market economy status as soon as
possible.
Kong said China has donated more than 1 billion
yuan (about US$122 million) to tsunami-hit countries so far.
Of this, more than 700 million yuan (US$85.4
million) was from the government and about 374 million yuan
(US$45.6 million) from the general public, said Kong. Half of the
donations will reach the tsunami-affected countries by the end of
this month, he added.
Besides financial aid, China has dispatched medical and rescue
teams, said Kong. The State Seismological Bureau has sent 69 people
in two teams to Indonesia's Banda Aceh to help treat patients and
rebuild hospitals. The Ministry of Health has sent three groups to
Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, and a fourth group left Beijing
for Banda Aceh on Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency, CRI.com, China Daily
January 26, 2005)