Following the "milestone" defense pact sealed yesterday between
Japan and Australia, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang
called on both countries to act in a way that respects both the
concerns and interests of their neighbors and to progress in a
manner conducive to promoting regional peace and security.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Australian Prime
Minister John Howard finalized the agreement on strengthened
security cooperation in Tokyo. This constitutes Japan's second such
pact, after the one it enjoys with the US.
Responding to assurances that the new pact would not threaten
China, Qin hoped the Japanese and Australian leaders are true to
their word. Howard said of the agreement: "It should not be seen as
being antagonistic to anybody in the region. It certainly is
not."
The Japan-Australia agreement lays out security cooperation
goals in areas covering counter-terrorism, maritime security,
border protection and disaster relief, while also laying out shared
regional concerns.
Qin reiterated that China seeks peaceful development and that
its national defense policy is based on the principle of
self-defense.
Korean nuclear talks
The Chinese-chaired working group on the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula will convene for the first time in Beijing on
Saturday.
Qin said Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, China's top nuclear
envoy, will chair the group, aimed at implementing the six-party talks' February 13 agreement.
The group was agreed upon by the six delegations to the talks,
along with four other working groups that will each oversee a key
part of the deal, which should see North Korea abandon its nuclear
weapon program and receive economic aid and diplomatic
recognition.
South Korea, leading the economic and energy cooperation group,
will also host a session at its Beijing embassy on Thursday, with
its top nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-woo in attendance.
Russia is heading the group on Northeast Asia regional peace and
security, with envoys from the US and Japan having started group
meetings with North Korean officials on normalizing diplomatic
ties.
"The goal for the five working groups is to implement the
initial actions the joint statement (released on September 19,
2005) called for, to lay a foundation for moving forward the
six-party talks," Qin said.
With the latest round of six-party talks beginning on Monday,
key figures are paying diplomatic visits to Beijing.
Prior to his landmark two-day trip to North Korea, IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei stopped off in Beijing on Monday to meet with Wu
Dawei.
Qin described ElBaradei's trip as a crucial avenue for the IAEA
and North Korea to mend their relationship, adding that Chinese
diplomats see it as a major boost to the implementation of the
joint statement.
US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief
American delegate to the six-party talks, will come to Beijing
today to attend Saturday's denuclearization working group meeting.
Hill will also meet with Elbaradei, due back from Pyongyang
today.
ElBaradei is also set to brief senior Chinese Foreign Ministry
officials on the results of his visit.
Darfur issue
Qin expressed China's hopes that the Sudanese government will
rapidly come to terms with the UN and the African Union (AU) and
allow the deploying peacekeeping forces in Darfur.
According to Qin, the Sudanese government and the international
society have reached a nominal consensus on the deployment of UN
and AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur. He further called on all
sides to work out detailed arrangements and rapidly convert these
into actions.
The Sudanese government announced last December that, after
rejecting the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, it had agreed
to a joint UN-AU peacekeeping operation in Darfur.
Final numbers from the UN and the AU would place between 19,000
and 20,000 troops on the ground, accompanied by 3,700 police
officers and 19 police units with the two organizations now
drafting up detailed operational plans.
The force forms the final phase of a three-part plan agreed upon
by the UN, the AU and the Sudanese government in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, last November, which aims to bring peace between the
Sudanese government, allied militias and rebels, which broke out in
2003.
Chirac's role in pushing for bilateral ties hailed
China hails French President Jacques Chirac's constructive role
in furthering France and the EU's relations with China, Qin
said.
He said China and France had enjoyed a period of constant
development in recent years through their bilateral all-round
strategic partnership, noting this was the accomplishment of both
nations and their leaders.
Qin thanked France for its positions on issues concerning
Taiwan, China-EU relations and lifting the EU arms embargo against
China, saying China approved the momentum and growth of
China-France relations.
Qin said China and France, as permanent members of the UN
Security Council, share many common interests and important
responsibilities in international affairs. China will maintain its
friendly cooperative relations with France no matter what
differences affect both countries or the international
landscape.
China will also keep promoting the development of the
China-France all-round strategic partnership based on the three
joint communiqués between the two nations, Qin noted.
Chirac has served as president of France since being elected in
1995. Having won reelection in 2002, his term will expire on May
17, 2007.
China's praise came after Chirac announced in a televised
address Sunday night that he would not seek a third presidential
term.
State visits
Qin further announced that President Hu Jintao would visit Russia in the last 10
days of March.?
Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan will tour four Oceanian nations,
namely Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, from
March 19 to 31.
Li Shenglin, special envoy of the Chinese government, will visit
Pakistan from March 18 to 21. Li, who is minister of
communications, will attend the inauguration ceremony of Pakistan's
Gwadar port, which was supported technically and financially by
China.
Finally, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri will
visit China from March 18 to 21 at the invitation of his Chinese
counterpart Li Zhaoxing.
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily March 14, 2007)
