The Foreign Ministry yesterday refuted remarks by Japanese
Foreign Minister Taro Aso on China's military development and
questioned the motives behind them.
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"As a foreign minister, to incite such groundless rhetoric about
China is extremely irresponsible, what is the real purpose?"
ministry spokesperson Qin Gang told a press conference in
Beijing.
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Qin said it is generally acknowledged that China insists on a path
of peaceful development, and that this has contributed to world
peace and stability, bringing East Asian countries, including
Japan, great development opportunities.
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Qin was responding to Aso calling China a "considerable threat" due
to its military development.
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"It's a neighboring country with nuclear bombs, and its military
expenditure has been on the rise for 17 years. It's beginning to
pose a considerable threat," Kyodo News Agency quoted Aso as
saying.
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Taiwan, Sino-Japanese relations
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Qin said people from both the mainland and Taiwan hope that Japan
will take a "correct attitude" over historical issues to break the
stalemate in Sino-Japanese relations.
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He said people from both the mainland and Taiwan have a clear
understanding of the Japanese government's current wrong words and
actions, and hope it can face history and take concrete measures to
fulfill its commitments when normalizing its relationship with
China.
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Talking about the modern history of Taiwan, Qin said Taiwan has
been China's territory since ancient times but was ceded to Japan
in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
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Following Japan's World War II defeat in 1945, Taiwan was returned
to China under the Potsdam Proclamation and the Cairo Declaration,
Qin said.
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Cheney's Asian tour
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The concerns and interests of countries included in US
Vice-President Dick Cheney's Asian tour should be taken into
consideration, Qin said, and China hopes to see peace, stability,
common development and prosperity in the Middle East and South
Asia.
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Earlier this week, Cheney paid a five-day tour to the Middle East
and South Asia aimed at rallying support for the US "war on
terror."
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Cheney had visited Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Oman before he
called off a planned visit to Egypt and Saudi Arabia due to
pressing domestic affairs.
Trade disputes
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When asked to comment on a possible trade battle between China and
the US, Qin said they are important trade partners.
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China's foreign trade volume has grown rapidly and economic and
trade cooperation between China and other countries in the world
has expanded in recent years.
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In dealing with problems cropping up in the development process, we
should take a long-term perspective, said Qin, and trade disputes
should be handled through negotiation on the basis of equality and
mutual benefit.
Qin said China is willing to develop mutually beneficial
cooperation with other countries in the world including the US so
as to achieve "win-win" progress through cooperation.
White paper
The white paper titled "China's Peaceful Development Road"
issued by the government will give the international community a
better understanding of China, Qin said.
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"The goal of the government is to develop greater trust with other
countries, and help the world learn about China's development and
its stance on major international affairs," he said.
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The 32-page white paper published by the State Council's
Information Office on Thursday aims to explain why the only course
the country can take is to pursue peaceful development.
"China is in a period of development and developing the country
is a long-term task," said Qin.
International cooperation on oil price
surge
China will step up cooperation with the international community
on energy issue, including the surge in oil prices, Qin said.
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"China, as both an energy producer and consumer, is always pursuing
international cooperation in tackling energy issue based on
equality and mutual benefits," said Qin.
N Korean government delegation's upcoming
visit
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A delegation of North Korean government led by Cabinet Vice-Premier
Ro Tu Chol will visit from December 24 to 27 at the invitation of
Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan, said Qin.
(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2005)
