China and Peru announced the launch of negotiations on a free
trade area (FTA) on Friday following a meeting between Chinese
President Hu Jintao and Peruvian President Alan Garcia on
the sidelines of the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC).
Hu expressed the hope that an FTA agreement would be signed at
an early date; and said the two countries should strengthen
cooperation in various fields.
The Peruvian president said his country is looking forward to
strengthening cooperation in the fields of ports, electricity,
mining and tourism.
Progress sought on N-talks
Hu on Friday urged all parties to the talks on denuclearizing
the Korean Peninsula to fulfill their commitments.
Hu made the remarks while meeting with Roh Moo-hyun, president
of the Republic of Korea (ROK), on the sidelines of the economic
leaders' meeting of the APEC forum.
Hu noted it is an arduous task to make the peninsula
nuclear-free despite progress made through six rounds of talks and
various working groups set up to deal with detailed matters.
Hu said China will strive for the realization of
denuclearization on the peninsula at an early date to maintain
peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
Roh said it has been proven that dialogue is the best way to
solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and appreciated the
positive role China has played as a host in pushing forward the
process of the talks.
The Six-Party Talks, which began in 2003, also
involve the United States, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Russia and Japan.
Meetings with leaders
Hu on Friday met with Michael Somare, prime minister of Paupa
New Guinea (PNG), saying China will continue to offer economic and
technological assistance to support development in that
country.
Hu said PNG is China's most important trading partner in the
Pacific islands and has been China's largest trading partner and
investment destination in the region for years.
Somare said his people hope to further develop the cooperative
friendship.
In talks with Kevin Rudd, the leader of the Australian Labor
Party, Hu appreciated his party's commitment to developing the
China-Australia friendship.
During a 30-minute conversation conducted entirely in Mandarin,
Hu praised Rudd for his fluency in the language and pledged to
develop ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.
It is reported that Rudd has accepted an invitation from Hu to
attend the Olympic Games in Beijing next year with his family.
Rudd, a former diplomat in Australia's Beijing embassy, is one
of the prime ministerial hopefuls for the next elections.
Hu and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Elizabeth Clark
expressed their desire to speed up negotiations on a free trade
agreement.
Hu is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
(China Daily September 8, 2007)
