A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said yesterday that the issue of the RMB exchange rate is likely to be discussed at the upcoming G8+5 summit. 

"If relevant countries are interested in it, I think the issue will be discussed," Liu Jianchao said at a regular news briefing.

The G8 summit outreach session will be held in the UK between the G8 and the leaders of China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. President Hu Jintao will attend at the invitation of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Liu said the summit will mainly focus on the global economy and climate change, and Hu will present China's policy and actions on its energy demands and the harmonious development of society and economy, and put forward certain cooperative proposals.

The spokesperson said Hu's participation is aimed at enhancing communication between developed and developing countries and improving understanding between them on key international issues and common challenges.

When asked whether China is willing to join the G8, Liu said "China attaches great importance to its influence and role in international affairs. We are willing to improve communication and cooperation with it."

SCO summit

On Hu's attendance at the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Kazakhstani capital of Astana, Liu said member states will exchange views on improving cooperation in fighting the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, safeguarding regional security and improving economic and trade cooperation.

There are reports that India, Pakistan and Iran will also attend the SCO summit as observers. Liu said the SCO is an open organization and those countries' attendance as observers will help improve their cooperation with the SCO.

"But as for the expansion of SCO membership, it requires consultation of all SCO member states," Liu said.

Vice FM's Japan tour

Liu said China hopes Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo's attendance of the second round of Sino-Japanese strategic talks can help increase common understanding between the two countries and create conditions for the improvement of bilateral relations.

Dai left on Thursday morning for Japan, and will confer with Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi on relations and issues of common concern.

Liu said Dai's attendance is "another important effort" from China to improve ties. The talks will help enhance mutual understanding and expand consensus, he added.

"We expect the two sides can conduct deep discussion on problems in Sino-Japanese relations, and mark out the future development of bilateral ties," Liu said.

The first round of talks, also attended by Dai and Yachi, was conducted in Beijing from May 13 to 14. The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue process, and held that the two-day dialogue was positive and helpful.

He said that at present, Sino-Japanese political relations are at their worst period since the normalization of bilateral ties. China demands that Japan make concrete efforts on the improvement of relations, and take a "correct, responsible" attitude toward historical issues.

"We ask Japan to properly handle the Taiwan issue, which is our serious concern, keep its promise on it and avoid official contacts with Taiwan authorities in any form," Liu said.

He said although severe problems exist between the two countries, China still holds a positive attitude on promoting Sino-Japanese relations.

Japanese court's rejection of compensation for Chinese forced laborer

The spokesperson urged Japan to properly handle the issue of a Japanese court's denial of compensation for a Chinese forced laborer.

"It was a serious crime committed by Japanese militarists to forcefully take Chinese laborers to Japan and enslave them during World War II," Liu said.

He urged the Japanese government to take up its due accountability with a highly responsible attitude toward history, and properly handle the issue concerning a Chinese forced laborer.

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday denied compensation of 20 million Japanese yen (US$183,000) to the family of Liu Lianren, a late forced laborer who escaped from a worksite toward the end of World War II and hid in mountains for about 13 years unaware the war had ended.

The high court overturned a 2001 first-instance verdict of the Tokyo District Court that for the first time supported compensation to a foreign national forcibly brought to Japan for labor during the war.

Six-party talks

Liu said that there were "positive" signs for a resumption of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and called for the parties concerned to seize the opportunity, and show flexibility and commitment to restart them as soon as possible.

He said China was in close contact with Pyongyang and would continue pushing for a resumption of the talks that also involve the US, South Korea, Russia and Japan.

Pyongyang last week expressed its willingness to return to the negotiating table in July if the US can "acknowledge and respect" it as an equal partner.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top US negotiator to the talks, called Pyongyang to return to the table as soon as possible through the US Embassy in Seoul's website.

"If we can agree on a date -- I hope in the month of July -- the US side looks forward to returning to the negotiating table to conclude these talks with the sense of respect and equality that all good negotiations must have," Hill wrote in a statement on the website. "Washington is ready to take action."

The US said on Wednesday it would give 50,000 metric tons of food as humanitarian aid to Pyongyang, describing it as not related to the six-party talks. Seoul is likely to offer Pyongyang 400,000 tons of food aid.

Reconciliation between Sudanese government, opposition NDA welcomed

China welcomes the reconciliation realized between the Sudanese government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Liu said.

He said the Chinese side will, as always, promote friendly and reciprocal cooperation with Sudan when asked to comment on the comprehensive reconciliation deal signed in Cairo last Saturday, a move believed to change the political landscape of the conflict-ridden African country.

The agreement, signed by Sudan's First Vice President Ali Osman Taha and NDA leader Mohamed Osman al-Merghani, ends 16 years of hostilities between Khartoum and the country's largest opposition group.

The NDA, an umbrella opposition group, includes a dozen or so large northern political parties, trade union representatives and the southern insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Movement.

Liu cited the agreement as another major achievement scored by the Sudanese government in the process of its national reconciliation after peace was realized between the north and the south of the country at the beginning of this year.

"It is conducive to the promotion of stabilization of the situation in Sudan," he said.

Thai PM to visit China 

Liu announced that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit from June 30 to July 2 at the invitation of Premier Wen Jiabao.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily June 24, 2005)