Foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan presided over the regular press conference on the afternoon of September 21.

 

Kong Quan: Good afternoon, friends. Before our press conference, I would like to extend our welcome to the 20 chiefs of major media from 19 African countries. Your presence is a reflection of an intensified cooperation between China and Africa within the framework of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. I would like to extend the warmest welcome to your visit to China.

 

Now I'd like to announce three important visits. In the golden autumn of Beijing, we will greet two important guests from afar. One is the President of Armenia Robert Kocharian,who will pay a state visit to China from 26 to 30 September at the invitation of President Hu Jintao.

 

The other guest is Vice-President Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa. He will pay an official visit to China from 26 to 30 September at the invitation of Vice-President Zeng Qinghong.

 

Here is another piece of news about visits. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Babados Billie Miller and Foreign Minister of Guyana Samuel Insanally, will visit the above-mentioned countries from September 30 to October 4.

 

Now, I'd like to answer your questions if you have any.

 

Q: On six-party talks, is there any latest news? Can the talks be held within this month? If not, can you give the reason? What are the problems? When does China hope the talks be held? My second question is, the UN Human Rights Commission is visiting China. What is your comment? Third, the Yukos Oil Company of Russia said it would cease the oil transport to China Petroleum and Natural Gas Corporation via railway. What is China's comment on this? This was reported against the backdrop of China's energy shortage and Premier Wen's forthcoming visit to Russia.

 

A: The parties concerned reached a consensus during the third round of six-party talks, which was to hold the fourth-round of talks before the end of September. It is very close to the end of September. Time is pressing. From the statements made by various parties, it should be noted that it would be very difficult to hold the six-party talks on time. As far as China is concerned, during this period, I mean after the third-round talks, we have been keeping close contact and communications with the parties concerned and have been doing a great deal of work to push for reconciliation and the talks. But you also know that the key to the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula does not lie in China's hands. The question now is that the DPRK and the United States, as two major parties concerned, are in a state of serious confrontation. At the same time, the issue of ROK's uranium-enrichment undertaking and plutonium experiment propped up. No doubt, we hope to see the six-party talks be held on time. But due to these issues, we are also worried. But we will not give up our efforts to push various parties to display a practical, tolerant and flexible attitude, and make joint efforts while taking into consideration of other parties' concerns so that the talks could be held on time before the end of September. Even if the talks could not be held on time, we should work for the fourth-round of six-party talks as soon as possible.

 

You mentioned the visit by UN Human Rights Commission. I think you referred to the visit by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. We have kept good communication and cooperation with the UN Human Rights Commission. We firmly believe that the efforts of both parties to advance the cause of international human rights are conducive to the overall interest of the international community. It is within this framework that Chairman Ms. Leila Zerrougui of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is visiting China at the invitation of the Chinese Government. During the visit, the group will have talks with China's Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate and the departments of public security and justice. The party will also visit some sites for custody. It is our hope that through these visits and contacts, they will have a complete and objective understanding of China's judicial work as well as the great efforts made by China in maintaining human rights and the results achieved.

 

The third question is about the Yukos company. According to the reports I read, it seems that the Yukos company has not ceased transport of crude oil to China and it will reduce the export of oil to China due to some problems with accounts and financial affairs. Anyway, our stand on this issue is that the Chinese and Russian sides have had good talks recently at the subcommittee for energy cooperation. The basic consensus of the two parties is that the two countries will further expand cooperation in the field of energy, especially the field of petroleum. One of the important items agreed upon is to expand the scale of crude oil exported to China from Russia by means of railway. We believe that on the basis of this outline, the Russian side and the Russian Government will urge the companies concerned to make efforts to realize the goal of greater Sino-Russian cooperation in respect of energy, especially in the field of petroleum.

 

You have also mentioned the visit to Russia by Premier Wen Jiabao. Premier Wen left Beijing for Russia at noon today. During this visit, he will exchange views with Russian leaders on deepening cooperation in various fields. They are expected to review the progress of the bilateral ties in the past year or so and plan for the future cooperation and work out implementing measures. The issue of energy will certainly be included as energy cooperation is an important part of the bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

 

Q: You just mentioned six-party talks. Will you summarize the talks as "5+1" or "4+2"? To my knowledge, Yukos planned to cease oil transport to China from September 28. One of the reasons is that the cost of rail transport is very high. Is China willing to pay for this cost to ensure that Russia continues to export oil to China?

 

A: The six-party talks are a mechanism to settle the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through peaceful means. This mechanism is realized as a result of the efforts of the six parties. As we recall the experience in the past two years, we would find that the road to the six-party talks has been bumpy. The talks began with three parties, and later expanded to six parties. We have gone through the first, second and third-round of talks. We have overcome all kinds of difficulties. Now we can say much headway has been made and some consensus has been reached. To put it briefly, first, the issue should be settled through peaceful means and through dialogue. Second, the peninsula should be nuclear free. As to "5+1" or "4+2", it should be noted that the main parties concerned are the DPRK and the United States, which are in a state of mistrust and confrontation. We hope that they can both show flexibility and pragmatism and cooperate with each other so that the fourth-round of six-party talks can be held at an early date and the goal set by all of us can be realized. I have repeatedly stated that this goal is not only the anticipation of the people of this area, but also is in their long-term interest. It is also the common aspiration of the international community.

 

The issue of oil export to China from the Yukos company involves the specific business deals between companies of the two countries. I just stated our stand from the government level. The Chinese and Russian governments jointly decided to expand Russia's crude oil export to China by means of rail transport. It is necessary to import some crude oil for the sake of China's economic development. Russia is a major petroleum producer. The cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit and equality will be win-win to both parties. It is our hope that the consensus reached by the two governments could be implemented, and the departments concerned of Russia would urge the related company to take concrete measures to carry out the decision jointly made by the two parties: first, to expand the energy cooperation, including in the field of petroleum oil, and second, to expand the scale of oil export to China through railway.

 

Q: Why did China threaten to use veto power to prevent UN from imposing sanction on Sudan? Now about a dozen people, mostly civilians, were killed in Iraq and Palestine almost daily. What is China's comment on the situation in these two countries? Do you believe China and the international community should take some actions?

 

A: The Darfur question has a major impact on Sudan as well as the region. More than one month ago, the UN Security Council passed a resolution. After that, the Sudanese Government has made some efforts, and the situation is turning for the better. But problems still exist. We also believe that a new resolution needs to be passed. But it should not contain the contents concerning sanctions. China has always held the view that imposing sanctions over a sovereign country is not helpful to the solving of the problem. Rather, it would complicate the issue. In the light of this basic principle, we have repeatedly stated our stand on the draft resolution proposed by the United States. The draft has been revised several times, absorbing some of the suggestions of China and some other countries. Considering that one of the kernels of the resolution is to ensure that the African Union would expand its deployment in Darfur to better cope with the complicated situation in the region, we have not vetoed the resolution. We will continue to support the Sudanese Government and its effort to stabilize the domestic situation. We also hope that the UN and the international community would give the Sudanese government more time for it to take further measures.

 

On your second question, I am fully for your view. At present, the international community should take actions to deal with the situation in Iraq and the problems with the Middle East peace process. At the same time, we believe that in the Middle East, the two parties of the Palestine-Israel conflict should also take immediate actions to stop the violent actions against the civilians so as to cooperate with the international community to reopen the road to negotiations and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible. I have repeatedly stated our stand on the question of Iraq. At present, Iraq has been plunged into a chaotic situation. The people's subsistence is facing serious challenge and they are living a precarious life. It is our hope that the security situation in Iraq could be stabilized as soon as possible, and its sovereignty and the territorial integrity could be restored as soon as possible. The UN should play an important role in this process.

 

Q: The UN is discussing how to reform the Security Council. Japan is seeking the position of a permanent member of the Security Council. What is China's view on Japan's intention, especially from the financial perspective? And what is China's stance from the historical perspective? The financial perspective refers to the fact that Japan has been covering some 20% of the UN financial revenue.

 

A: The United Nations has been established for nearly 60 years. The organization has undergone great changes. Reforms need to be carried out over the UN, including the Security Council. The reform should proceed from some basic points. First, the Security Council should give priority to increasing the representativeness of the developing countries. The UN now has more than 190 members, most of which are developing countries. However, this has not been fully reflected in the Security Council. Second, one of the fundamental goals of the reform of the Security Council and the UN is to improve work efficiency so as to cope with the challenges. This is also the consensus of the international community. Third, the reform of the Security Council involves a wide range of issues, which concern various parties. We believe that this issue should be dealt with in a gradual manner under the consensus reached by various parties. There should not be a rigid timetable for it. UN Secretary-General Annan has appointed a high-profile panel, including former Vice-Premier Qian Qichen of China, to handle the reform of the Security Council. This panel has held several meetings and solicited opinions from various parties. The panel plans to submit suggestions to the Secretary-General before the end of this year. We hope that they could come up with some major thoughts so that the UN member states could hold extensive discussions and reach consensus.

 

As to the membership fee and the historical question, first, the UN Security Council is not like a board of directors of a company. It is not composed according to the amount of contribution a country pays. Second, I remember last time I stated that we understood Japan's expectation to play a greater role in international affairs. But we also believe that if a country wishes to play a responsible role in international affairs, it must have a clear understanding of the historical questions concerning itself.

 

Q: The Dalai Lama plans to visit Mexico and have private meetings with some officials of the Mexican Government. Is China opposed to such private meetings?

 

A: The Dalai Lama is not an ordinary religious figure, but a political figure in exile conducting splittist activities. Therefore, we hope all countries in the world would respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and would not provide any podium for such exiled political figure conducting splittist activities.

 

Q: What are the main goals of Premier Wen Jiabao during the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the coming few days? Would the cut of oil exports to China by Russia's Yukos Oil Company become an obstacle in Wen Jiabao's meetings with Russian officials during his visit to Russia?

 

A: The initial establishment stage of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had come to an end this year, and has moved forward into a stage of substantial development. This meeting of the premiers and prime ministers is of great significance, and is the first chance for quite a few premiers (prime ministers) of its member states to meet. They would work together to improve mutual understanding, and will also take this opportunity to jointly discuss how to promote the substantial cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in various fields.

 

Oil export to China by Russia's Yukos Oil Company, in essence, is an issue between oil companies of the two countries. We hope Yukos would honor the contracts it had concluded with the relevant Chinese companies, and export crude oil to China as agreed upon in the contracts. At the same time, we also hope the Russian side, the relevant departments of the Russian Government in particular, would urge the related Russian companies to honor the contracts.

 

Q: From China's point of view, what achievements has the Shanghai Cooperation Organization made in the fields of anti-terror and economic cooperation since its establishment? What are the challenges ahead?

 

A: The development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the past three-plus years has proven that its establishment is not something incidental; it conforms to the common desire of the countries in this region to carry out economic construction and strengthen multilateral cooperation in a peaceful and safe environment. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has completed its institutional construction in the past three years, and at the same time, has made substantial progress in the cooperation in anti-terror and security fields. It has conducted consultations and cooperation in respect of security at different levels and in different fields, and has also staged joint anti-terror military drills. Besides, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has also made some constructive explorations in the field of economic cooperation. The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will continue to give priority to cooperation in the fields of security and economy and trade, facilitate the communication and cooperation among the member states in an all-round manner, and achieve peace and development in the region.

 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, after the meeting of premiers (prime ministers), will issue a communiqué to summarize in detail the achievements made at the meeting as well as the direction and goals for the coming years. In a word, we have full confidence in the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

 

Q: Does China consider the nuclear plan of the Republic of Korea falls into the scope of discussion of the six-party talks? About China's participation in peacekeeping activities of the United Nations, which is in charge, the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Liberation Army or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Have the Beijing police authorities complete their investigation into the injury incident of foreign journalists during the Asian Cup?

 

A: We are very much concerned about the issue of uranium enrichment and plutonium experiments by the Republic of Korea. On the one hand, we hope all contracting parties to the NPT will truthfully abide by their commitments, and on the other hand, we also notice that the Government of the Republic of Korea, after the exposure of this issue, has cooperated with the IAEA in a series of investigations. We hope the Government of the Republic of Korea will continue to actively cooperate with the IAEA in the investigation and clarification efforts to settle this issue completely. The ultimate goal of the six-party talks is to realize a nuclear-free peninsula. In this process, many difficulties have to be overcome. In fact, difficulties come from various aspects, and I think this issue is one of them.

 

As to your second question about the Chinese peacekeeping forces, I hope all friends present here today will be able to take part in the visit to the Langfang Peacekeeping Training Center on September 27 (next Monday), which is organized by our department. The training center just went into operation, and it is responsible for training personnel from the Chinese police forces to take part in peacekeeping activities. You could raise the questions you are interested in to the organizers during the visit.

 

I have been keeping in contact with the Beijing police authorities concerning the incident you just mentioned. The police authorities expressed their regret over the incident happened to AP and AFP journalists on August 17, and they have been conducting careful investigations. I believe they will, after the completion of the investigations, notify the parties concerned about the investigation results.

 

Q: It is reported that China will, before the year 2020, invest US$12 billion in Russian energy and infrastructure facilities. What's your comment on this?

 

A: I'm unable to confirm such statement. As I remember, when Li Hui, Assistant Foreign Minister, made a briefing here last Friday, he mentioned that the two sides, in order to further strengthen China-Russia cooperation in various fields as economy, trade and energy, will take measures to vigorously encourage, expand and strengthen mutual investment. Under this general strategy, discussions about mutual investment in the field of energy between China and Russia could not be ruled out, and when conditions are appropriate, they will realize the goal of expanding mutual investment.

 

Let's call it a day. Thank you.