British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday that
boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games is not the right path to
take.
"We are ever excited about prospects for the Summer Olympic
Games in Beijing," Miliband said in an interview with Chinese
reporters in London before his visit to China.
The 29th Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing in August this
year.
"Everything we have seen and read suggests that preparations are
proceeding in an excellent way. We very much look forward to a very
successful Olympics, successful for China and successful for the
world. We certainly believe that boycotts are not a right way," he
said.
"China has big responsibilities around the world. We are looking
forward to working with the Chinese government to ensure the values
of stability, security and social justice. And only today I spoke
with (Chinese Foreign Minister) Yang Jiechi about our joint work that could
help the situation in Darfur. And the Chinese envoy to Darfur is in
London today, that sort of engagement is the right way to go and
boycotts are not the right way," Miliband said.
"The Prime minister (Gordon Brown) is determined to represent
the whole of the country with his attendance to the Games," he
added.
Answering a question on the Taiwan issue, the foreign secretary
said that the British policy on Taiwan has not changed. "We oppose
the referendum to join the UN in the name of Taiwan," he said.
Miliband expressed his high regard to the bilateral relations
between Britain and China. "I can't think about a time that our
relations are stronger, that is symbolized by the visit of the
Prime Minister to China last month but also by cultural events like
China Now going on in Britain."
British people are fascinated by the changes and improvements
going on in China, and are trying to build bridges between the two
nations, the foreign secretary said.
China is now a society offering massive new opportunities for
its own people, and also has an important role to play in the
world, he said.
"Both our countries are challenged by the facts of
globalization. Economic and social changes are producing challenges
for both the societies, challenges about security and stability,
challenges about justice, challenges about environment, and the
theme of my visit is how our two countries can work together and
learn from each other in adapting to these challenges," the
secretary told Chinese reporters.
The British foreign secretary travels to China on Saturday for
about a week, visiting four cities - Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chongqing
and Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2008)
