"We consider that such an act violates the principles of international law, infringes on China's rights and interests as well as jurisdiction over the EEZ," commented Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue on recent activities of the Dowditch, a US naval vessel, in China's EEZ without approval.

Zhang also welcomes the recent reconciliation trend on the Korean Peninsula. Improvement has been apparent recently in the relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, Japan and Russia, noted Zhang at a regular briefing."Today the Chinese side has learned that the US will send a special envoy to the DPRK for discussions over security issues, " said Zhang, "We regard this as another positive step."

China hopes all sides involved will further improve relations with DPRK to enhance bilateral trust through honest dialogues so as to further promote the trend, she added.

In addition, Zhang also reiterated the priority task in resolving the Iraq issue is the return of United Nations (UN) weapons inspectors to Baghdad as soon as possible and their on-the-spot inspections.

China is prepared to contribute to the working out of a fair resolution of the Iraq issue through political means and within the UN framework, said Zhang.

"The Chinese Government is conducting a serious study of Britain's dossier," Zhang said.

The British dossier, issued by Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday, said Iraq could launch a chemical or biological warhead with only 45 minutes' notice, according to reports.

In elaborating on China's position on international hot spot issues, the spokeswoman said all the governments that attended the general debates of the 57th UN General Assembly shared the following consensus.

Firstly, all the nations stressed the importance of multilateralism in resolving international issues. Secondly, the UN Charter should be obeyed and the UN should play a bigger role in international affairs, she said.

The nations also agreed to give priority to development and they hoped that further cooperation and comprehensive methods be fostered in the fight against terrorism, She said.

Turning to the Cote d'Ivoire, Zhang said China, as a friend of the Western African nation, is deeply concerned over the recent turbulence there. The Chinese Government supports the positive efforts made by the current president of Cote d'Ivoire to maintain stability and promote national reconciliation, she said.

Hailing the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Germany, which falls on October 11, she said the Chinese Government is eager to improve overall relations with the newly elected German Government through mutual efforts.

(People?s Daily September 27, 2002)