On June 3rd, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhang
Qiyue held the regular press conference. Zhang: Good
afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Today I have no
announcement to make. Now I am ready for your
questions.
Q: President Hu Jintao met
with President Bush on June 1st. But on the same day, the US
House Majority leader indicated that many congressmen were
resolutely opposed to Bushs One China policy. What is
your comment on his remarks?
A: You
question is related to the US policy towards China and
should be interpreted by the spokesperson of the US
Government. During the meeting between President Hu Jintao
and President Bush, the two sides had an extensive and
in-depth exchange of views on the Sino-US relations and
major international issues. On the Taiwan issue, President
Hu made clear that the Taiwan issue remains to be the most
crucial and sensitive issue among the Sino-US relations. It
is our hope that the US side will adhere to the one China
policy, abide by the principles enshrined in the three Joint
Communiqués, and promote the healthy development of the
Sino-US relations. During the meeting, President Bush also
clearly stated that the US Government pursues the one China
policy, abides by the three Joint Communiqués, and is
against the Taiwan independence.
I would like
to stress that the proper settlement of the Taiwan issue and
the smooth development of the Sino-US relations conform to
the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and are of
major significance to the peace of the two countries, and
the world at large.
Q: It is learned
that Xu Wei was sentenced for subversion and was tortured
and maltreated in jail. Could you confirm
that?
A: As the Foreign Ministry
Spokesperson, I am not aware of the specific case you
mentioned. However, I would like to emphasize that China is
a country ruled by law and everything is handled in
accordance with law.
Q: Could you
brief us on Prime Minister Vajpayees visit to China?
When will he visit? Who will he meet with? What documents
will be signed?
A: We will release
the news of the Indian Prime Ministers visit in due
course. But what I can tell you here is that the Indian
Prime Minister will visit China late this month. President
Hu Jintao just met with Prime Minister Vajpayee in St.
Petersburg and exchanged views on the Sino-Indian relations
and issues of common concern. Both sides are satisfied with
the recent development of the bilateral ties, and stand
ready to work together, enhance cooperation, and promote the
continuous development of the bilateral
ties.
During the meeting, President Hu Jintao
also appreciated and welcomed Prime Minister Vajpayees
gesture for the improvement of Indian-Pakistani relations.
As was stressed by President Hu, China supports all
endeavors conducive to the relaxation of the situation in
South Asia, and hopes India and Pakistan will resolve their
differences peacefully through dialogue. The Chinese side is
now busy preparing for the upcoming visit by Prime Minister
Vajpayee. The specific arrangement is being worked
out.
Q: When will be the next round of
talks on the Korean nuclear issue among China, the US, and
the DPRK? Will it be held soon in Beijing or in Malaysia?
Besides, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz
recently called on China, Japan and some other neighbors of
the DPRK to impose pressure on the DPRK to settle the Korean
nuclear crisis. Will China consider stopping its assistance
to the DPRK if the DPRK fails to abandon its nuclear
program?
A: China stands for a
peaceful, stable and nuclear-free Korean Peninsular. In the
meantime, the security concerns of the DPRK should also be
cared for. The tripartite talks of China, the US, and the
DPRK in Beijing this April constitute a good beginning, and
we hope the process will move on. The Beijing talks have not
come easily. The various parties believe that such talks are
very helpful. Therefore it is our hope that the Beijing
talks will proceed. I have no new information on further
talks.
Regarding the second question, we stand
for the settlement of the DPRK nuclear issue through
dialogue. We are not in favor of the willful use of pressure
or sanctions in international relations, which will only
escalate the current situation and impede the solution to
the issue.
Q: Today the US and the
Arab countries held a meeting in Egypt. After that,
Palestine and Israel will have another meeting in Jordan.
But these meetings did not invite Syria and Lebanon. What is
the comment of China? Does China believe it will not conduce
to the Middle East peace process? Besides, the US announced
that it would not grant diplomatic privileges to the foreign
diplomats in Iraq. Is China concerned about it? Before
Chinas ambassador to Iraq returns, will China make
representation with the US side?
A:
On June 3rd, the US, Egypt and other Arab countries held a
meeting in Sharm El-sheikh, Egypt. On June 4th, the US,
Palestine, and Israel will meet with each other in Jordan.
These meetings are carried out to implement the Middle East
road map peace plan. China hopes to see positive progress
from these two meetings so that the overall and lasting
peace in the Middle East will be realized at an early date.
Recently Palestine and Israel have adopted a
series of active measures to push forward the Middle East
peace process, for which China expresses appreciation and
support. At present the Middle East peace process has
entered into a crucial period and is facing new
opportunities. We hope that Israel and Palestine may
actively get along with the international efforts and
restore peace talks at an early date so that the Palestinian
issue and the Middle East issue could be settled as soon as
possible.
During his recent trip to Palestine
and Israel, Ambassador Wang Shijie, Chinas Special
Envoy for the Middle East, put forward Chinas
five-point proposals on the Middle East issue. One is to
restore negotiations between Israel and Syria and Lebanon at
an early date so that a solution acceptable to all the
parties concerned could be achieved for the eventual
realization of the overall and lasting peace of the Middle
East.
As for the diplomatic personnel in Iraq,
we have taken note of the announcement made by the US. We
hope that Iraq will restore stability at an early date so
that the Iraqi people will enjoy a tranquil and stable life,
and the reconstruction of Iraq could be launched as soon as
possible. Not long ago, the UN Security Council has passed
the resolution 1483. This new resolution should serve as the
basis for the reconstruction of Iraq. We hope that the
relevant parties could push for the comprehensive and proper
solution to the Iraqi issue to safeguard the peace and
stability of the Middle East.
Q: Could
you brief us on the meetings between President Hu Jintao and
Egyptian President Mubarak. Have they touched upon
Chinas proposal on the Middle East peace
process?
A: According to my
knowledge, President Hu Jintao and Egyptian President
Mubarak only had a brief conversation. Maybe the time is not
enough to make an overall introduction on Chinas
proposal on the Middle East issue. China always actively
supports the Middle East peace process and is ready to make
its own efforts and contribution to this
end.
Q: Yesterday China reported no
new SARS cases. Does China believe that now it is time for
the WHO to lift the travel warning against Beijing, Tianjin
and some other places? Will China lobby the WHO to lift the
travel warning against Beijing and some other
places?
A: As the Foreign Ministry
Spokesperson, I am not in the position to answer that.
However, as a Beijing citizen, I am very delighted to see
the recent development in the control of SARS in Beijing.
Concerning the ease of the epidemic, the Chinese leaders and
governments at all levels repeatedly stressed that we should
remain alert and no negligence is permitted. Effective
measures should be maintained until we win the final victory
against SARS. We believe that the top priority is that we
should continue to take these effective
measures.
Q: What is the stand of
China towards the development of nuclear weapons in Iran?
Has President Hu Jintao mentioned this issue during his
meeting with President Bush?
A: As
for the meeting between President Hu and President Bush and
the specific issues discussed during their meeting, the
spokesperson of the Chinese delegation has given the
details. Concerning the Irans nuclear issue as you
mentioned, our stand is that it is the consensus of the
international community to prevent the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. Iran is a signatory to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),
the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC). It undertakes not to develop
weapons of mass destruction. We have taken note that Iran
has clearly denied the development or possession of weapons
of mass destruction. Therefore, any doubts and questions on
this issue should be settled by the relevant organizations
through negotiations, consultations and dialogue between the
countries concerned. The non-proliferation should not hinder
the peaceful use of the relevant
technology.
Q: Taro Aso, an official
of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan recently claimed
that Japan should not have the similar view of history with
its neighbors. What is the comment of China on his
remarks?
A: I have not seen the
remarks made by this Japanese official. The Japanese
Government should have a clear understanding on the issue of
history. I would like to brief about the meeting between
President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi.
This is the first contact between the two leaders since the
Chinese new leadership took office. The two sides reached
important consensus on further enhancing the friendly
cooperation between China and Japan. We hope that the two
sides will take the opportunity of this meeting, and work on
the healthy development of the Sino-Japanese relations. This
should be based upon observing the three political documents
including the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and adhering to
the principle of taking history as lessons, and
looking into the future. During his meeting with Prime
Minister Koizumi, President Hu expressed his hope that Japan
should properly handle the question of history. It is our
hope that the two sides will make joint efforts to push
forward the bilateral relations in the new
century.
Q: The President of China
National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is now with President
Hu Jintao in Kazakhstan. Will China and Kazakhstan sign an
energy agreement? What are the details of the
agreement?
A: President Hu Jintao and
his delegation are now paying an official visit to
Kazakhstan. Today he had talks with President Nazarbayev of
Kazakhstan, and then signed the joint statement. Besides,
the two sides also signed five agreements, namely, the
framework of cooperation from 2003 to 2008 between the PRC
and the Republic of Kazakhstan, the agreement on the
educational cooperation between the Education Ministry of
the PRC and the Ministry of Education and Science of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, the exchange of letters on the
assistance gratis from the PRC Government to the Government
of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the agreement on further
investment of CNPC in the oilfields of Kazakhstan, and the
agreement on the feasibility studies of the joint
construction of the oil pipeline projects at different
stages between Kazakhstan and China. The two countries also
exchanged two instruments of ratification, namely, the
instrument of ratification on the treaty of
good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation between the PRC
and the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the note of ratification
on the agreement of cooperation against terrorism,
separatism and extremism between the PRC and the Republic of
Kazakhstan.
This is a fruitful visit. In recent
years, the good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation
between China and Kazakhstan have been developing smoothly.
The two countries signed the treaty of good-neighborliness
and friendly cooperation, and the boundary issues have been
settled. The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation
in fields of economy, trade, energy, transportation,
science, technology, and culture etc. President Hu
Jintaos visit to Kazakhstan will further promote the
overall development of the bilateral ties. I refer you to
the relevant departments for the
details.
Q: It is learned that the US
and a certain countries are taking measures to prevent the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, mainly against
the DPRK, for instance, to inspect the ships on the sea. Is
China opposed to this move?
A: At
present the DPRK nuclear issue remains very sensitive. All
the parties concerned should create favorable atmosphere and
condition for the peaceful settlement of the DPRK nuclear
issue through dialogue, and refrain from making any move or
remarks that may further escalate the situation.
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