On the morning of November 30, 2005, Director General Zhao Jun of the Department of European Affairs and Director General Cui Tiankai of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a briefing for domestic and international journalists as well as information officers from foreign embassies in China to update them on the background and China's initial considerations over Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming official visit to France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Malaysia and his attendance to the 9th China-ASEAN (10+1) Leaders' Meeting, the 9th ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3) Leaders' Meeting and the 1st East Asia Summit. .

Zhao Jun stressed as another important event in China-EU relations after President Hu Jintao's visit to Europe in November this year, Premier Wen Jiabao's impending official visit to France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Portugal is of great significance to enhancing mutual understanding and trust between China and the four nations, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and further promoting the development of bilateral relations.

China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained sound momentum of development currently with the further enhancement of bilateral political mutual trust. In 2004, the heads of state of the two countries exchanged annual visits and they met twice in 2005. Breakthroughs have been made in bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Bilateral trade volume hit 17.58 billion US dollars last year, registering a year-on-year increase of 31.3%. The volume has already reached 16.64 billion US dollars in the first 10 months of this year, up 17.3% compared with the same period of last year. The Year of China in France and the Year of France in China were a tremendous success. We are satisfied with the all-round development of bilateral relations. During his visit, Premier Wen will hold talks with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and meet with President Jacques Chirac and President of the National Assembly Jean-Louis Debre. He will deliver important speeches and meet with people from the legal, business and cultural communities. In addition, Premier Wen will also visit astronautic and aeronautic companies in France and Europe. The two countries will also sign a number of important cooperative agreements.

China and Slovakia issued a Joint Communiqué in 2003 as the guideline for the development of bilateral relations in the new period. Bilateral mutual trust has been enhanced, economic and trade cooperation promoted and exchanges in science, technology, culture, education and tourism gradually expanded. Premier Wen's present visit will be the first one by a Chinese head of government to Slovakia since the country achieved independence in 1993. Premier Wen will exchange in-depth views with Slovakian leaders on deepening China-Slovakia friendly cooperative relations and other issues of common interest. The two countries will also sign some bilateral documents.

The relations between China and the Czech Republic have maintained a sound momentum of development in recent years. President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek successfully visited China last year and this year respectively. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation are increasingly expanded and the scale and level of cooperation are continuously uplifted. China would like work with the Czech Republic to constantly consolidate bilateral friendly cooperative relations on the basis of the five principles of peaceful co-existence. Premier Wen's present visit will be the first one by a Chinese premier to the Czech Republic since the country achieved independence in 1993. Premier Wen will exchange in-depth views with Czech leaders on deepening bilateral relations and other issues of common interest. The two countries will also sign a number of bilateral documents.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal in 1979, bilateral relations have developed steadily. As the first visit by a Chinese premier in 13 years, Premier Wen's current visit to Portugal is of great significance to enhancing bilateral high-level exchanges, promoting understanding and trust, and boosting bilateral cooperation. During his visit, Premier Wen will hold talks with Prime Minister Jose Socrates and meet with President Jorge Sampaio and President of the Portuguese Republic's Assembly Jaime Gama. He will also attend some bilateral activities in the area of economy and trade, culture, and education. China and Portugal will also sign a number of cooperative agreements on politics, economy and trade, judicial affairs, education and health.

Cui Tiankai pointed out Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to Malaysia and his attendance to the 10+1 and 10+3 Leaders' Meeting as well as the East Asia Summit represent a significant diplomatic move with neighboring countries and will achieve a wide range of results.

Malaysia is a friendly neighbor of China and also an important member of ASEAN. Premier Wen's present visit to Malaysia is of great significance to further deepening China-Malaysia good neighborly and friendly cooperation and pushing forward the good momentum of China-ASEAN strategic partnership. During the visit, Premier Wen will meet with and hold talks with Supreme Head of State Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi respectively to comprehensively elaborate on China's proposal to deepen bilateral strategic cooperation and to exchange views with them on China-ASEAN relations and East Asian cooperation. Premier Wen will also meet with people with good will from various communities to share with them China's economic development and peaceful development strategy so as to encourage them to continue to play an active role in pushing forward China-Malaysia friendly ties.

Premier Wen will deliver important speeches at above-mentioned meetings to put forward China's principled propositions and related suggestions. As the next year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue partnership, this year's 10+1 Leaders' Meeting will be of great significance in that it bridges the past and the future. China will fully affirm the achievements and experience that have been scored over the past 15 years since China and ASEAN established dialogues, explain China's views on the future direction of bilateral relations and work out specific initiatives to deepen cooperation for the next year. Bird flue and other newly emerged epidemics represent a severe challenge for both China and ASEAN. China will propose to enhance bilateral cooperation in this area.

The current 10+3 Leaders' Meeting will be themed by "a retrospect and future orientation of 10+3 cooperation". China will make positive remarks on the achievements and latest developments in East Asian cooperation, support the establishment of an East Asian Community with 10+3 as the major channel, support ASEAN to play a leading role in East Asian cooperation, and propose concrete initiatives to consolidate and deepen the 10+3 meetings.

The 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, as well as Australia, India and New Zealand will attend the 1st East Asia Summit. The participants will exchange views freely on international and regional political and economic issues, regional cooperation framework, and development. China would like to conduct dialogues with other countries on major issues that the region is faced with so as to ensure that the East Asia Summit helps regional cooperation as well as the common development of East Asian nations, the region and other regions.

Following the briefing, Zhao Jun and Cui Tiankai took questions from the journalists.