China is willing to continue its active consultation with Japan
on the East China Sea issue, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu
said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.
Jiang made the remarks when asked to comment on whether the
issue could be resolved during President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan this spring.
She said China hopes to work with Japan in deepening cooperation
in various fields and is willing to discuss with the Japanese side
on Hu's upcoming visit.
"China will maintain the process and momentum of the
consultation based on sincerity and active attitude, and try to
seek an early settlement of the issue with the improvement of
bilateral ties," Jiang said.
China and Japan have convened 11 rounds of talks on the East
China Sea issue. The two sides had reached four new consensuses on
the issue during talks between Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda last month.
Outer space arms race
China will actively push for the signing of an international
legal document on preventing arms race in outer space during the
Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Jiang said.
The first 2008 session of the United Nations-sponsored
Conference on Disarmament was being held in Geneva from Jan. 23.
Wang Qun, Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, led the
Chinese delegation to attend the conference.
"China advocates the peaceful utilization of the outer space and
opposes weaponization and arms race in the outer space," Jiang
said.
China has not and will never participate in outer space arms
race, she added.
UN Security Council reform
China said there is no change in its position on the reform of
the United Nations Security Council and it supports reasonable and
necessary reform of the council.
Jiang made the remarks when asked whether there is a change of
views on the reform of the council since relevant intergovernmental
negotiations on such reform had already been initiated, marking a
new stage of the reform.
"China supports reasonable and necessary reform of the UN
Security Council so as to enhance its authority and efficiency. We
have always supported the developing countries in playing a bigger
role in the UN and in the Security Council, and advocated the
giving of priority to increased representation of developing
countries, particularly that of the African countries in the
Security Council," Jiang said.
The reform would affect the future of the UN and the immediate
interests of all member countries so we should follow a principle
to get easier things done first and harder ones afterwards, said
Jiang.
The reform should be started with issues that are easier to
resolve and most consensus has been reached on, and carried out
through extensive and democratic discussions and taking into
account the interests and concerns of various parties, to reach the
widest consensus on a plan of the reform, said Jiang.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2008)
