"It was an extremely serious kidnapping case and was different from a commonplace illegal immigration, for the kidnappers tended to blackmail the government of a third country," Zhang said.

The kidnapping had severely violated Chinese law and disturbed social order, and the Chinese side would dealt with the case strictly according to law, she said.

Zhang said China had confirmed Fudeko's identity and the case was still under investigation.

It was reported that Fudeko was kidnapped after her illegal entry into China from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea not long ago. China's public security departments have seized two kidnappers holding passports of the Republic of Korea.

China, as a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, will continue to support and take part in the UN peacekeeping operations, said Zhang.

She said China would dispatch an engineering team and a medical team of the People's Liberation Army to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

UN peacekeeping operations had played an important role in solving regional conflicts and were widely appreciated, Zhang said.

She said China had so far dispatched military observers, civilian police, engineering officers and soldiers in more than ten UN peacekeeping operations, and last year China formally joined the Class-A standby arrangements system.

It is reported that the peacekeeping contingent of 175 officers and soldiers have finished their preparations, with all their engineering equipment made in China, and are awaiting departure orders from the United Nations.

A 43-strong military medical team will leave for the DRC at the same time.

In May 1997, the Chinese government decided in principle to take part in the United Nations' standby arrangements for its peacekeeping operations.

Since 1990, China has sent more than 1,450 officers and soldiers, including 640 military observers, liaison officials and consultants, on UN peacekeeping missions.

Fifty-three Chinese military observers are still serving in six regions, and two staff officers work in the UN peacekeeping department. Four Chinese servicemen have died and dozens have been wounded while on UN peacekeeping operations.

Since it first sent 15 policemen on UN peacekeeping operations in January 2000, the Chinese government has dispatched 198 civilian policemen in successive groups to serve in East Timor and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

US Vice-President Richard Cheney will visit China in the first half of this year, Zhang announced.

Zhang said Cheney accepted the invitation of Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao last year and would tour China during the first half of 2003.

High-level mutual exchanges between China and the United States were of vital importance to the development of bilateral relations, said Zhang.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2003)