On the afternoon of March 29,2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference.

Jiang Yu started the press conference with the following announcement:

At the invitation of the Chinese Government, H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand will visit China from April 4 to 12.

Q: Foreign Ministers from a number of countries will meet in London on March 29 to discuss the current situation in Libya. Do you have any comment?

A: I don't have any information on that meeting yet.

Q: Prime Ministers from Pakistan and India will meet in India tomorrow. This meeting is of great importance as being the first of its kind since the Mumbai terrorist attack. As a major country in Asia, how does China view the meeting?

A: India and Pakistan are both good neighbors of China and major countries in South Asia. Improved India-Pakistan relations will be conducive to peace, stability and development in South Asia. China welcomes contacts and dialogue between the two countries and supports the two in their efforts to properly handle disputes and achieve common development through dialogue and cooperation.

Q: China has expressed dissatisfaction about the coalition air raids against Libya. Will Chinese leaders have any discussion with French President Sarkozy about the situation during his attendance at the upcoming international monetary seminar in Nanjing?

A: President Sarkozy is coming to China to attend the international monetary seminar. Chinese leaders will meet with him. Relevant information will be released in due course.

Regarding the situation in Libya, China disapproves the use of force in international relations and stands for handling disputes and disagreements peacefully through dialogue and negotiations. It is our hope that the international community will exert joint efforts to urge and facilitate an early realization of ceasefire so as to avoid escalation of conflicts and a bigger humanitarian disaster and resolve the current crisis in Libya through political and diplomatic means to ease the situation as soon as possible.

Q: The US and the ROK have proposed that the UN Security Council condemns the DPRK uranium enrichment program through a Presidential Statement. What is China's attitude? Separately, ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan is visiting Beijing and has held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Please brief us on the topics covered.

A: The international community is very concerned about the DPRK uranium enrichment issue, which highlights the urgency to realize denuclearization on the Peninsula. We believe relevant issue should be discussed and settled within the framework of the Six-Party Talks. It's hoped that the endeavor to handle the issue will contribute to the easing of tension, stability and the process of denuclearization on the Peninsula. We hope to see parties meet each other halfway to create conditions for an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks and seek for a settlement accommodating concerns of all parties in the process of the Talks.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks with ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan today. The two sides spoke positively of the current bilateral relations and agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation across the board to further advance their strategic partnership of cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks and other issues of common interest.

Q: Please brief us on the specific arrangement and items on the agenda for the BRICS Leaders Meeting. It's suggested that the meeting should issue a statement on the situation in West Asia and North Africa. What is China's attitude?

A: Information will be released in the coming days about the specific arrangement for the BRICS Leaders Meeting.

The BRICS group serves as a platform for countries of emerging markets to conduct dialogue and cooperation in the fields of economy, finance and development. It has become a multi-tiered cooperation framework led by summit meetings, supported by ministerial meetings and supplemented by practical cooperation across the board. Increased exchanges and cooperation among BRICS countries will not only benefit the member countries but contribute to a balanced development of the global economy and give play to the active role of countries of emerging markets in international affairs, particularly the global economic governance.

I can't predict what specific international and regional issues of common interest will be covered in the discussion. And as for whether any documents will be issued, that will be decided by parties upon consultation.

Q: China did not veto Resolution 1973, but now it criticizes the coalition air strikes against Libya. Isn't that kind of contradictory?

A: If you had followed closely the UNSC discussions on this issue and China's explanatory statement after the vote, you would have reached the conclusion that China played a constructive role during the process.

Given the concerns and positions of the Arab countries and the AU as well as the special situation in Libya, China abstained from voting on the resolution along with some other countries. We oppose the use of force in international relations and have serious reservations with part of the resolution.

Q: A US Human Rights Organization said oil and gas pipelines being built across Myanmar and into China had led to human rights violations and called on the Chinese company involved to reconsider its investment in this region. What's China's response?

A: I do not know what is the intention of forging a far-fetched link between the two issues. China pursues a foreign policy of developing good neighbourliness and friendly realtions with neighbouring countries. We conduct mutually beneficial cooperation with all neighbours on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. We also respect the other countries' choices of development paths that suit their national conditions.

Q: China's neighbouring countries including India and Vietnam have expressed their dissatisfaction over China's construction of dams on cross-border rivers, claiming that these dams have exerted negative impact on the downstream environment. What is China's response?

A: When it comes to the development of cross-border rivers, the Chinese Government upholds the policy of placing equal importance on development and protection and fully bears in mind the interests of the downstream countries. We have clarified on many occasions that the hydropower station under construction on the middle part of the Yarlung Zangbo River does not have a large storage capacity, nor regulation and storage functions. Thus it will neither cause fluctuations of downstream flow nor impair flood prevention and disaster reduction efforts and the ecosystem of the downstream area.

China has formulated scientific and thorough plans for the development of the Lancang River and strictly followed the international norms on environmental protection. Given the concerns of the downstream countries, we have adopted a number of environmental protection measures and even given up some of our interests in hydropower development. A host of scientific research and studies have made it clear that the current hydropower development on the Lancang River has little impact on the downstream flow and environment. Not only China but also the experts and environmental groups of relevant countries have reached the same conclusion.

I want to reiterate here that China pursues the foreign policy of developing good-neighbourly relationship and partnership with neighboring countries and will never harm the interests of others.