China and South Africa on Monday called on the international community not to neglect issues facing developing countries while engaging itself in the fight against terrorism.
This was stated by visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and his South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at the first diplomatic sub-committee session of the Sino-South African Bi-National Commission in Pretoria.
Both sides stressed that while fighting against terrorism, the international community should pay more attention to such issues as poverty reduction in developing countries and efforts to narrow the gap between the South and the North, according to a statement issued after the session.
The two foreign ministers also called on the United Nations to play a leading role in combating terrorism.
They stressed that the fight against terrorism should not be fought with double standards or extended to target any other countries.
At a joint press conference after the meeting, Tang reiterated China's opposition to any attempt or practice of linking terrorism with certain religion, certain countries or certain ethnic groups.
"Nor can we agree to such an attempt made by some forces to extend the scope of anti-terrorism struggle in light of their own strategic interests or political needs," Tang stressed.
"This will not be conducive to regional peace and stability and world peace at large," he said, adding that the fight against terrorism must have clear-defined targets and must not cause civilian casualties.
Religious or ethnic contradictions may have given rise to terrorism, but any practice of equating such religion or ethnic groups with terrorism would lead to great chaos in the world, he warned.
The anti-terrorism struggle would be a drawn-out and arduous process and the US-led military victory in Afghanistan did not mean the struggle was over, Tang said.
Peace, development, terrorism and economic globalization were the main issues facing the world and called for equal participation of all countries in resolving the issues, Tang said.
"China and South Africa will coordinate their positions and jointly facilitate the democratization of international relations and the establishment of a new economic and political order," he said.
Dlamini-Zuma echoed this view, pledging that South Africa would work closely with China in fighting against terrorism.
South Africa did not agree that a particular political regime should be linked with terrorism, she said.
"The anti-terrorism struggle should be fought under a United Nations front or international front," she said. "It is important for the United Nations to play a role in the fight against terrorism."
Tang arrived in South Africa on Saturday for a four-day visit.
(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2002 )
