The Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed concern over the
tensions aroused by the reported North Korean missile test and
urged all concerned to act in a way conducive to the region's peace
and stability.
"We've noticed relevant reports and the position of each party,"
the ministry's spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing.
"We're very concerned about the current situation."
Jiang said China has always been devoted to maintaining the
peace and stability of Northeast Asia and will continue to make
constructive efforts to achieve those goals.
Regarding?the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular
nuclear issue, Jiang said China has maintained close contact and
communication with all parties concerned and made active efforts
for the discussions to resume.?
She said China believes that all parties should firmly follow
the path of peacefully resolving the issue through talks, firmly
uphold the goal of realizing a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula
and push forward the six-party negotiation process.
Jiang also expressed her hope that all parties should show
flexibility and make more efforts to improve mutual trust in order
to restart the six-party talks as soon as possible.
Turning to the Iranian nuclear issue, Jiang urged Iran to make
an early response to the EU's package proposal to resolve it.
"We hope Iran will be highly attentive to the concerns of the
international community, take a positive attitude and make a formal
response to the package proposal at an early date," said Jiang.
"We also hope that all the other parties will show the utmost
patience and restraint, and continue to take a constructive
attitude to create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for the
resumption of the negotiations," she said.
Jiang said the proposal has created a precious opportunity for
solving the nuclear issue through negotiations.
"We believe the resumption of the negotiations as soon as
possible is the common aspiration of the international community
and serves the interests of all parties including Iran," she
said.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran
would respond by mid-August to the proposal presented to Tehran in
early June by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Turning to Middle East issues, Jiang said China's special envoy
Sun Bigan is to visit Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Palestine from June
25 to July 2.
"China is very concerned about the situation in the Middle East
and Ambassador Sun is to confer with parties concerned about the
current situation there,"?she said.
Since taking up the post of Middle East special envoy in April,
Sun has been in wide contact with envoys of relevant
countries,?Jiang said.
Sun also participated in the political consultation on the
Middle East peace process during a recent China-Arab Cooperation
Forum held in Beijing, she added.
"Relevant parties have conveyed their hope to the Chinese side
that Ambassador Sun can visit the Middle East soon," she said.
China has been closely following the progress in the Middle East
and has kept close contacts with Arab countries, she noted.
"China is participating in the solution of Middle East issues in
its own way," Jiang said. She added that China has all along played
a constructive role in the process.
Jiang said China supports the Middle East peace process and the
road map peace plan and wishes to solve Middle East issues through
political negotiations on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and
the "land for peace" principle.
"China hopes the new governments of Palestine and Israel can
take a more active stance, build mutual trust and solve disputes
through peaceful negotiations," she said.
In another development, Jiang said?China aims to improve
ties with Japan by holding activities marking the 60th anniversary
of the repatriation of 1.05 million Japanese emigrants.
She said the purpose of the activities was to promote mutual
trust and understanding between the two peoples and ameliorate
bilateral ties.
A forum on China-Japan relations and other commemorative
activities marking the 60th anniversary of the repatriation will be
held from June 24 to 26 in Huludao, a small island in north China's
Liaoning Province by the Chinese People's
Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Liaoning
provincial government.
The repatriation reflects the benevolence and humanitarian
spirit of Chinese people, said Jiang, adding that both sides should
value and cherish the hard-earned China-Japan relationship.
On May 7, 1946, nine months after Japan surrendered to the
Allies, about 2,500 Japanese emigrants started their voyage home
from Huludao, marking the beginning of the repatriation.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2006)