China has slammed the US after the unveiling of a bronze memorial to "victims of communist regimes" in Washington D.C., Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said on Wednesday.

"We resent and oppose the US acts and comments and have lodged stern representations with the US side," said Qin, in response to the monument's inauguration on Tuesday, a ceremony attended by US President George W. Bush.

Qin said that the world is moving towards peace and cooperation, and that different social systems should learn from each other, not reject each other, adding that certain US political forces still adopted a Cold War mentality.

"We ask the US side to give up 'cold war' thinking and the practice of making ideological judgments about other countries," said Qin.
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Deployment of hybrid AU-UN force for Darfur
 
China welcomed a joint statement issued by the African Union, the United Nations and Sudan, which revealed that the war-stricken African state would allow the deployment of a hybrid AU-UN force in Darfur.

"The facts have shown that dialogue and equal negotiation is an effective approach to political solution of the Darfur issue, and the consultation between the AU, UN and Sudan is an effective mechanism," said Qin.

Qin said the international community should work to prolong the strong momentum currently pushing the Darfur issue forward, promote the complete implementation of the Annan plan, and ultimately help Sudan improve the Darfur humanitarian and security situation.

Qin added that China stands ready for any active and constructive role in Darfur, and will strive to achieve the early realization of peace, stability and development in Darfur.

The AU, UN and Sudanese officials started a closed-door consultative meeting in Addis Ababa Monday to discuss the deployment of a hybrid force of between 17,000 to 19,000 troops in Darfur. The meeting ended with a joint statement Tuesday, which announced that Khartoum had given the go-ahead for the hybrid force in Darfur.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2007)