The Chinese government will take every measure necessary to secure the safety, lives and property of resident Chinese in the Solomon Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Qin Gang, said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

 

During the recent unrest in the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, dozens of residences and shops in Chinatown were looted and set on fire. Hundreds of local Chinese residents were forced to flee their homes.

 

Violence erupted in the South Pacific island chain on Tuesday after Snyder Rini was elected prime minister.

 

Qin said the Chinese government is extremely concerned about the situation.

 

The Chinese government has requested that Solomon Island authorities act immediately to protect the lives and property of Chinese residents, Qin said.

 

He expressed his sympathy for the Chinese people affected by the unrest.

 

Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered the Foreign Ministry to closely follow developments and to do everything it can to secure the safety of Chinese people in the Solomon Islands, Qin said.

 

Because China and the Solomon Islands do not have diplomatic relations, the ministry's requests have been made through the governments of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Requests have also been made to these governments to extend assistance to Chinese nationals if necessary.

 

Appeals for aid, if required, have also been made to the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

 

Orders have been sent for diplomats from the Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea to monitor the situation from the ground.

 

To date, about 500 Chinese nationals, including five from Hong Kong, have been moved to safety to Solomon Island police headquarters.

 

Qin also advised against traveling to the Solomon Islands until the tension is eased.

 

According to Radio New Zealand, "a tense calm" settled on Thursday over the Solomon Islands after 180 Australian soldiers and police arrived in Honiara to quell violent protests.

 

A curfew was called across the city on Wednesday and police were given the power to arrest people on suspicion of inciting violence and hold them without charge for up to a week.

 

Canada's economic espionage charges slammed as groundless

 

China on Thursday said that Canada's charges of economic espionage were "groundless" and "irresponsible."

 

"China has not been engaged in any so-called economic espionage in Canada," Qin said.

 

Qin made the statement when asked to comment on a report that a senior Canadian official had accused China of conducting espionage activities in Canada by stealing information on Canadian industry and technology.

 

"The accusation against China is completely groundless and irresponsible," Qin said, adding that China is seriously concerned about the accusation.

 

"We hope the Canadian government can make a clear distinction between right and wrong, and promote rather than harm the healthy development of Sino-Canadian relations," Qin said.

 

China to contribute to peace, stability in S. Asia

 

China will make concerted efforts with South Asian countries to promote regional peace and stability, Qin said.

 

Praising the four-point guidelines granting observer status to China and Japan prepared by the Standing Committee of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) last Tuesday, Qin said China would explore new ways of promoting mutual beneficial cooperation so as to seek common prosperity and development with South Asian nations.

 

This would "unfold a new chapter" in the bilateral relations between China and the SAARC, Qin said.

 

Noting that China and South Asian countries were friendly neighbors and had extensive common interests in safeguarding regional peace and stability, Qin expressed the wish that all procedures be finalized soon so that China could become a fully-fledged observer at an early date.

 

The SAARC Standing Committee has also decided in principle to grant South Korea and the US observer status.

 

The SAARC, which was formed in 1985, consists of seven countries, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

 

US urged to 'properly' handle Chinese terrorist suspects at Guantanamo

 

China urged the US to properly handle the terrorist suspects of Chinese nationality held at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

 

"The US should deal with the terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay in a prudent, responsible and proper manner," Qin said.

 

The US should take into consideration international anti-terrorism cooperation and China-US relations and abide by international law, Qin said.

 

The Pentagon posted a list of 558 detainees on its website on Wednesday after continued criticism of the secrecy surrounding the detention center.

 

Qin said that terrorism is the common enemy of the international community.

 

"The East Turkistan terrorist forces constitute part of international terrorist forces, posing serious threats to the international community, including China and the US, and people's lives and property," Qin said.

 

"China hopes and believes that the international community can understand and support China's crackdown on East Turkistan terrorist forces."

 

China urges restraint in solving Iran nuclear issue

 

Qin urged restraint and flexibility in resolving the Iran nuclear issue through negotiations.

 

"There is still room for resolving the issue through negotiations, and we hope all parties concerned will continue to try to seek a proper solution in this way," Qin said.

 

He said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai attended a six-nation meeting on the Iran nuclear issue in Moscow on Tuesday and expressed China's concern about the current situation.

 

Representatives from the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany attended the Moscow meeting.

 

China supports the early resumption of talks between the EU and Iran, Qin said.

 

Qin noted that following the visit to Iran, Cui visited Russia and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The two sides exchanged views on the Iran nuclear standoff and other issues related to bilateral relations, he said.

 

The two sides agreed to strengthen contacts and cooperation in the Iran nuclear issue to jointly promote the peaceful solution to the issue, Qin said, adding China will continue to support Russia in this regard.

 

SCO to stage summit, ministerial meetings?

 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold a summit and several ministerial meetings soon, Qin said.

 

"The SCO will hold not only a summit in Shanghai in mid-June, but also a meeting for defense ministers and a meeting for foreign ministers later this month and in mid-May respectively," Qin said.

 

Dubbed a new model for regional cooperation, the SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, aiming to promote regional security and fight terrorism.

 

The permanent members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its four observer states are Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran.

 

"China expects that a string of activities will help step up the dialogue, consultation and cooperation between SCO member states and help promote regional peace, stability and security," Qin said.

 

Since its founding, the SCO has built up a respectable image of peace, cooperation, openness and progress in the international community, Qin said. "China looks forward to the continued progress of the SCO."

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)