Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said through multiple
rounds of trilateral and bilateral talks China, the United States
and North Korea exchanged views on pushing forward the six-party
talks in a frank and in-depth manner.
"The meetings are conducive to enhancing mutual understanding
and sharing concerns," Jiang said Thursday at a regular press
briefing in Beijing. She again urged all parties to take the
opportunity to adopt active measures to achieve progress in pushing
for an early resumption of the stalled talks.
Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, US Assistant Secretary of State
Christopher Hill and their counterpart from Pyongyang Kim Kye-gwan
held informal discussions starting Tuesday. This was their first
meeting since the end of October.
Talking to reporters during a brief stopover at Tokyo airport
after meetings in Beijing Thursday, Hill had a warning for North
Korea. "They must get out of the nuclear business and into the
NPT," he said, referring to the Non-Proliferation Treaty which
Pyongyang quit in 2003.
However, Pyongyang is adamant that it will not give up the
country's nuclear program. It is reported Pyongyang wants sanctions
dropped and Washington to unfreeze its overseas bank accounts as
preconditions for ending its nuclear program.
According to Jiang the inaugural meeting of the China-US
Strategic Economic Dialogue will be held from December 14-15 in
Beijing and will be co-chaired by Vice-Premier Wu Yi and US Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson.
The dialogue was launched by President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart George W. Bush
in September as an arching forum for discussing ways the two
countries can work together to ensure their people benefit fairly
from the growing bilateral economic relationship.
The ministers and senior officials concerned from the two
countries will also attend the dialogue. Chinese President Hu
Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao are expected to meet with the US
delegation, she added.?
"The dialogue will further promote economic and trade
cooperation between China and the US and will be conducive to the
development and stability of the global economy," she said.
The dialogue was announced in September during a trip to Beijing
by Paulson.
The spokeswoman also said Premier Wen Jiabao will attend a
series of summits in Cebu, the Philippines and pay an official
visit there from December 11-14.?
The meetings will include the 10th ASEAN (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations) plus Three (China, Japan and the Republic
of Korea) summit, the 10th China-ASEAN summit and an East Asian
regional summit, Jiang said.
Wen would also chair the seventh annual meeting of leaders of
China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, Jiang added.
She said the 10th China-ASEAN summit would focus on practical
co-operation between the two sides. "China will discuss with ASEAN
the practical co-operation for next year and put forward a series
of concrete proposals to further consolidate and raise the level of
bilateral strategic partnership," said Jiang.
She said the relations between China and ASEAN had entered a new
historic period. They were marked by a China-ASEAN joint statement
that strategically planned future co-operation adopted at the
summit commemorating the 15th anniversary of the dialogue
partnership between China and ASEAN held at the end of October in
Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
On the seventh China, Japan, ROK leaders' meeting Jiang said,
"China looks forward? deeply to exchanging views with Japan
and the ROK on trilateral co-operation and international and
regional issues of common concern."
Invited by Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto
Romulo the Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will attend a series of foreign
ministers' meetings in Cebu City of the Philippines from December
9-10, Jiang announced.
The meetings will include China-ASEAN foreign ministers'
gathering, foreign ministers' working luncheon of the ASEAN and
China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and foreign ministers'
working luncheon of the East Asia summit.
Li will also preside over the fourth meeting of the Tripartite
Commission of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, according to
Jiang.
Jiang also announced that Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister
Zhai Jun will visit Israel, Palestine and other countries in the
Middle East in the near future to bring parties concerned back onto
the track of negotiations.
"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has
been engaged in the proper settlement of the Middle East issue,"
said Jiang in response to a question on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert's remarks Monday that Israel was ready to resume
negotiations with Palestine and solve the Middle East issue
peacefully.
China welcomes the Israeli prime minister's remarks, said Jiang,
adding that China appreciates the positive measures Israel and
Palestine have recently taken for easing tensions.
"China hopes the two sides could take concrete measures to
establish mutual trust and resume peace talks as soon as possible,"
Jiang added.
In another development China hopes the Vatican could see the
ordination of bishops by the Chinese church in a positive light
allowing for the history of bilateral relations between China and
the Vatican and the current conditions of China's Catholic
Church.
Jiang said the principles of the Chinese government on its
relations with the Vatican are consistent, namely the Vatican
should sever its relations with the Taiwan authorities and not
interfere in China's internal affairs under the pretext of
religion.
"We are sincere in improving relations with the Vatican and
would explore ways to do that based on the above two principles,"
she said.
When asked to comment on the current situation in Fiji she said,
"China is paying much attention to the situation in Fiji and hopes
it maintain stability." She noted that Fiji is friendly towards
China.
According to reports tensions in Fiji have been high since Fiji
Military Commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama threatened last
month to remove Prime Minister Qarase from office.
Qarase negotiated on Wednesday with Bainimarama in Wellington,
New Zealand to find a solution to the political tension resulted in
a possible coup but no agreement was reached.
?
The UN Security Council on Wednesday called upon the military of
Fiji to exercise restraint and avoid taking any action which would
undermine the rule of law and run counter to the best interests of
the people of Fiji.
Jiang said that China has always advocated that the Iraqi issue
should be properly settled in accordance with relevant UN Security
Council resolutions. These remarks were also made on
Thursday.??
Jiang made the comments when asked to comment on a recent US
bipartisan group's consensus on its recommendations to the US
government on Iraq policy. News reports said the group recommended
the US government should work with Iraq's neighbors in finding ways
to end violent conflicts in Iraq including direct engagement with
Iran and Syria.
It will be conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East
for relevant countries to establish and develop bilateral
relations, Jiang said. China hopes Iraq can stabilize and realize
"Iraqi people governing Iraq" at an early date, she added.
The group examining the Bush administration's Iraq policy
reached agreement Wednesday afternoon and would announce its report
on December 6.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2006)
