At a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said China respects the Ukrainian people's choice of president and wishes them stability and prosperity.

She said that the country's Central Election Commission had announced the results, and that this was Ukraine's own affair.

Turning to Iraq, Zhang described the recent international conference as "a successful meeting" and called on the international community to proceed with the consensus that had been reached.

Representatives from more than 20 countries and organizations, including the League of Arab Nations, the Group of Eight, China, the UN and the EU, participated in the conference hosted by Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.

Zhang said China has committed US$1 million in material aid to support Iraq's general election, and help it train diplomats and personnel in economic management and energy development.

Yesterday Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said President Hu Jintao's just-concluded Latin American tour has been very successful and met the desired targets.

Zhang said Hu's visit to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Cuba marks an important milestone in the development of ties between them.

The spokeswoman also announced that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will pay a working visit to China from December 6 to 8, as will Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi from December 4 to 9.

(Xinhua News Agency, CRI.com November 26, 2004)