On Thursday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said
that China hoped to clarify historical issues with Japan through
the recently proposed joint study panel.
"The most important thing for launching the panel
is to help keep the past firmly in mind, cherish peace and work
together to create the future," Kong Quan told a regular press
conference.
Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing and Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura
agreed on May 7 in Kyoto, Japan, to set up a panel to study issues
of history, and both sides will name members of the panel by the
end of the year, media reports said.
Kong announced that Vice Premier Wu Yi
will attend the China Day of the Aichi Expo 2005 during a visit
from May 17 to 24 at the invitation of the Japanese government. Wu
will then visit Mongolia from May 24 to 26.
Turning to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Kong
said China welcomes the "positive messages" sent by Washington and
Pyongyang over resuming six-party talks, urging them to release
more such messages to create a good atmosphere for them.
"Recent remarks from the two sides contain positive
messages worth our attention and we welcome them," Kong said,
adding that the messages are important to resume the talks
scheduled to be held last September but suspended because of
mistrust between the US and the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK).
US acting State Department spokesperson Tom Casey
said at a news briefing in Washington on Tuesday, "The New York
channel obviously exists and remains open, and we'll use it when we
deem it appropriate, as we have in the past." DPRK and US officials
met twice at the end of last year at the UN headquarters in New
York.
Casey made the remarks after the DPRK Foreign
Ministry said last Sunday that Pyongyang has no intention of
holding bilateral talks separate from the framework of the
six-party talks. But Pyongyang did not deny the possibility of
holding bilateral talks within the framework on condition that the
US recognizes the DPRK as a sovereign state.
"We expect the messages could enhance understanding
and dissolve some hostility," Kong said.
He said that six-party talks are the only and
correct way to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue, urging
relevant parties to stick to the talks and give the US and DPRK
more support to bring them back to them.
Moving on to UN reforms, Kong said China believes
they should resolve the common concerns of most member
countries.
The government has urged for the reforms to be well
rounded and not to cater only to the interests of several dominant
countries.
Kong noted that debate on UN reforms is wide
ranging. China believes that their aim should be improving
efficiency and increasing the decision-making power of developing
countries.
(Xinhua News Agency, CRI.com May 13, 2005)