China hopes the second round of six-party talks on the nuclear
issue in the Korean Peninsula will be held as soon as possible this
year, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan in Beijing
Tuesday.?
The talks should continue in the direction of peace and
dialogue, Kong said at a regular news briefing.
Ning Fukui, an ambassador-level official with the Chinese
Foreign Ministry who is in charge of the affairs concerning the
Korean Peninsula, made a working visit to Moscow from Jan. 4 to 6,
said Kong, adding that Ning held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Alexander Losyukov and Russian Foreign Ministry First
Asian Department Director Yevgeny Afanasyev on the nuclear
issue.
Chinese and Russian officials reached important consensus on the
nuclear issue and expressed their willingness to make positive
preparation for the second round of six-party talks, the spokesman
said.
Kong said all parties, including China, have been working and
mediating for the early convening of a fresh round of talks,
although there are some concrete differences.
Relevant parties have agreed to resolve the nuclear issue
through dialogue and diplomacy in a bid to realize non-nuclear in
the peninsula, tackle the security concerns of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and maintain peace and stability
in the peninsula, he said.
China hopes the US non-official delegation's visit to a DPRK
nuclear complex will help the United States and the DPRK enhance
mutual understanding and promote dialogue, said Kong.
In August 2003, China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic
of Korea, Russia and Japan held six-party talks on the nuclear
issue in the Korean Peninsula.
Turning to Sino-Indian relations, Kong confirmed that the second
round of high-level talks to resolve the border dispute between the
two countries will be held in January in China, saying that
specific items including an exact date are under discussion.
"We hope that the two sides can actively explore ways to resolve
border disputes on the basis of further Sino-Indian relations, and
from the overall situation of bilateral ties,'' Kong said.
China and India had discussed a formula for swapping disputed
border territory during the first round of talks last October.
The Sino-Indian boundary question was left over by British
colonialists from the history.
China and India share a border of about 2,000 kilometers. The
disputed areas cover about 125,000 square kilometers.
In 1914, Britain concocted the unlawful McMahon Line, which has
never been recognized by successive Chinese governments.
The two countries fought a brief war over the border in 1962,
which greatly impaired bilateral ties.
Turning to Afghanistan's historic new constitution, Kong said it
was another significant step towards peace and would lay the
foundations for lasting stability and development.
Divided ethnic and political factions ratified the Constitution
on January 4, with the active encouragement of the transitional
government and other parties, Kong said.
"As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China will continue to
support Afghanistan's development toward peace, and would support
peace and stability in Afghanistan with the international
community,'' Kong said.
The Loya Jirga on Sunday adopted the country's first
post-Taliban constitution, with the majority of the 502 delegates
approving a presidential system for the Islamic republic, paving
the way for democratic elections later this year.
The spokesman also congratulated on the holding of the
just-concluded 12th summit of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Kong voiced his appreciation of the efforts made by SAARC in
promoting economic development, social progress and cultural
exchange in South Asia.
??
He said he hoped the joint efforts of all the countries in South
Asia would enable the SAARC cooperation process to continue so as
to make new contributions to the economic development and standards
of living in the region.
Leaders of seven South Asian countries wrapped up their
three-day summit Tuesday in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad
after signing the Islamabad Declaration and documents on economic,
social and counter-terrorism cooperation.
The SAARC comprises India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan,
Pakistan and the Maldives.
Also at yesterday's briefing, the spokesman said the Chinese
authorities have taken effective measures to monitor and prevent
the spread of SARS.
Kong said the confirmation of the first diagnosed case of SARS
(severe acute respiratory syndrome) on Monday did not cause public
panic, because effective prevention measures had been taken.
Kong said the public should be more aware of the possibility of
SARS, but need not panic.
The World Health Organization and the Chinese government are
satisfied with the SARS monitoring system, Kong said, adding that
all foreign visitors and Chinese residents are safe.
The spokesman announced at the invitation of Chinese Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing, foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will attend the ad hoc
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting
in Beijing on January 15.
The inaugural ceremony of the SCO Secretariat will be held on
the same day, and foreign ministers of its six members and
representatives of some international organizations will be invited
to attend, Kong said.
Also at the invitation of Li Zhaoxing, Uzbek Foreign Minister
Sodik Safaev will pay an official visit to China on January 13-16,
according to Kong.
(Sources including Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, January
7, 2004)