Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said at Thursday's regular press conference that China supports Germany in playing a greater role in the UN and other multilateral organizations.

When asked to comment on Germany's candidacy for a permanent seat at the Security Council, Qin said China is willing to maintain contact and consultations with Germany on UN reforms.

Germany is an important member of the EU, and with adherence to peaceful development, it plays an acknowledged and active role in international affairs, he said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on reforming the UN has been under discussion at the General Assembly. Qin said the reforms cover various fields and levels, and China supports reforms of the UN Security Council.

He said China believes that priority should be given to increasing the representation of developing countries, views from all concerned parties should be taken into account, and reforms should be decided through consultation and with consensus.

China is not in favor of setting a time limit for Security Council reform or of forcing a hasty vote, he noted. 

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday that Japan and China should resolve their oil and gas drilling dispute in the East China Sea through dialogue.

"Chinese and Japanese positions differ on the matter, but we need to continue talks from a larger point of view, without inflaming conflicts," Kyodo News Service quoted Koizumi as saying.

The Japanese government on Wednesday initiated procedures to grant Japanese firms the right to conduct test drilling for potential gas and oil fields to the east of a unilaterally defined demarcation line in the East China Sea.

Qin said Japan's move was a provocation against China's rights and the norms of international relations.

China had already lodged protests on the issue with the Japanese side and Qin said the nation would "retain the right to react further."

He said China has always insisted the two sides should resolve the issue through diplomatic negotiations.

"We urge the Japanese side to take relevant measures. The consequences depend on Japan," he said, after being asked to elaborate what further reaction China would likely make.

He said China wants to solve the question through consultations and proposed putting aside disputes and engaging in joint exploitation efforts in the ocean area.

"We hope to get a positive response from the Japanese side," he said.

Japan has unilaterally demarcated a controversial exclusive economic zone along the median line. It holds that the line is determined by the two countries' coastlines.

China holds that the line is determined by the continental shelf on China's side, over which China claims exclusive rights.

Both China and Japan have a right to claim 200 sea miles of water, in accordance with international law.

However, the width of the East China Sea is less than 400 sea miles and the claims of the two sides overlap, which has led to continuing disputes.

According to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura plans to visit China this weekend but Qin did not give any details about Machimura's agenda, saying the two sides are still discussing the visit.

He also denied Japanese media reports that two Chinese students had been killed in Japan.

"We have carefully checked the facts, and the story is false," he said.

Turning to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's ongoing visit, Qin said China hopes it can further advance Sino-Nigerian relations.

Invited by President Hu Jintao, Obasanjo arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning for a four-day stay.

Obasanjo is visiting China as both Nigerian president and rotating president of the African Union, said Qin. During his visit, he will confer with Chinese leaders on bilateral relations, Sino-African cooperation and international and regional issues of common concern, and the two sides will also sign cooperation documents.

Besides Beijing, Obasanjo will travel to Hubei Province and Shanghai.

Commenting on Sino-African relations, Qin said great achievements have been made in recent years. China and African countries maintain frequent high-level visits and trade and economic cooperation has expanded.

The establishment of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in the year 2000 has actively promoted understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation, Qin acknowledged.

"China will, as always, expand friendly cooperative relations with African nations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," the spokesperson said. 

Moving on to the Vatican, Qin said China's basic principles in dealing with its relationship with it "remain unchanged."

He said China hopes the Vatican will take "concrete actions to create conditions to improve bilateral relations instead of setting new obstacles for it."

He said China has persistently followed two principles in relations with the Vatican: it should sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan and promise not to interfere in China's internal affairs, including any intervention on the pretext of religious activities.

Qin announced that, at the invitation of Premier Wen Jiabao, Austrian Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel will visit from April 19 to 25, and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin from April 21 to 23.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily April 15, 2005)