China has already asked Japan to handle issues related to Taiwan
in an "appropriate, well-considered" manner, the Foreign Ministry's
spokesperson Kong Quan said at a regular press conference
yesterday.
It is reported that former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui plans to
visit Japan in May.
Kong noted that the reasons behind Lee's repeated attempts to
visit Japan are to trumpet "Taiwan independence," sabotage the
peaceful reunification of the mainland and Taiwan, and undermine
Sino-Japanese relations.
China hopes that Japan will adhere to the principles enshrined
in the three Sino-Japanese political documents including the
China-Japan Joint Statement, and take concrete actions to
demonstrate the commitment it has made so far to the Taiwan issue,
Kong said.
Kong emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns the core
interests of China, the emotions of the Chinese people and the
political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations.
Japan should take substantial actions to improve Sino-Japanese
relations, Kong said.
Kong said China had taken note of the speech by Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Taro Aso on
attaching importance to Japan's relations with China.
Koizumi vowed on January 20 in his annual policy speech to
develop the future-oriented relations with China. Describing China
as a very important neighbor, Koizumi said: "We will strengthen
cooperation from a comprehensive standpoint to construct
future-oriented relations based on trust."
In his speech, Aso said that strengthening relations with China
is an unswerving fundamental policy of Japan.
The Chinese government, based on the spirit of learning from
history and looking into the future, would continue its efforts to
promote friendly and cooperative relations between China and Japan,
Kong said.
East Asia WWII history
China, South Korea and Japan should jointly study East Asia
World War II history, Kong said.
During his visit to Japan, United States Deputy Secretary of
State Robert Zoellick proposed that the US, China and Japan carry
out joint research on WWII history, so as to narrow differences
among the parties.
When asked to comment on Zoellick's proposal, Kong said China,
South Korea and Japan should jointly carry out the research.
"We are glad to see that Chinese, South Korean and Japanese
scholars have already made some helpful contributions in this field
recently," Kong said, adding the China hopes the three countries
can find ways to further promote cooperation on the research.
Six-party Korean nuclear talks
"All parties should be dedicated to bridging differences through
dialogue and dealing properly with postponement factors so that the
six-way talks can restart soon," Kong said.
He said when the six parties concluded the last phase of talks,
they agreed to hold the second phase of the fifth-round talks at an
early date.
"But it is worrying that new problems and complications have
emerged during the follow-up process," he said.
When asked to comment on the reported meeting between Japan and
North Korea in Beijing in early February, Kong said China supports
the two countries' attempts to solve bilateral problems through
one-on-one consultation.
The six-party talks, which aim to find a peaceful solution to
the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, involve China, South and North
Korea, the US, Russia and Japan. So far, the six countries have
held five rounds of talks in Beijing.
Political stability in Nepal
China hopes that Nepal achieves stability as soon as possible,
Kong said.
Nepal is one of China's friendly neighboring countries, and
China is concerned about the current insurgency in Nepal, Kong
said.
Kong expressed his hope that all parties involved in Nepal will
narrow their differences through dialogue so as to contribute to
the country's development and prosperity.
Nepal's anti-government guerillas announced an end to the
ceasefire on January 2, and have since launched activities aimed at
ending autocratic monarchy and restoring democracy.
Over 12,000 Nepalese people have been killed since the
anti-government insurgency began in the Himalayan kingdom in
February 1996.
Commenting on the situation in Afghanistan, Kong also said China
will continue to play a positive role in their economic and
political reconstruction process.
Kong announced that an international conference on Afghanistan
will be held in London from January 31 to February 1. Foreign
Minister Li
Zhaoxing will attend the conference at the invitation of the
British and Afghan governments.
Kong said the upcoming conference is of great importance. China
has been a constant supporter of Afghan economic and social
reconstruction, and has provided Afghanistan with a great deal of
assistance in funds, food and material.
China will actively implement personnel training projects in the
diplomatic field for Afghanistan, and will continue to encourage
Chinese companies to contribute to Afghan economic reconstruction
engineering projects, Kong noted.
Following the conference, Li is to visit Switzerland, Austria,
Norway, Monaco and France from February 2 to 9.
During his tour, Li will meet in Vienna with his counterparts
from Britain, France and Germany.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2006)