On the afternoon of November 25, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue presided over a regular press conference.

Zhang: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, please allow me to make two statements.

At the invitation of President Hu Jintao, President of the Republic of Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi will pay a state visit to China from December 4 to 9.

At the invitation of Premier Wen Jiabao, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Gerhard Schroeder will pay a working visit to China from December 6 to 8.

Now, I'm glad to take up your questions.

Q: What's China's comment on the international conference on the Iraqi issue held in Egypt?

A: At the just-concluded international conference on the Iraqi issue, consensus was reached on such questions as promoting Iraq's political process, helping Iraq restore stability and strengthening the role of the UN. The conference was a success, which showed the support from the international community for the peace of Iraq. For the next step, the international community should strive to materialize the consensus of the conference.

China has been actively participating in the process of Iraq's reconstruction. Chinese Special Envoy Wang Guangya, Permanent Representative to the UN Wang Guangya, led the Chinese delegation at the conference, and played a constructive role for its success. The Chinese side is earnestly honoring its commitment on aids to Iraq, including the USD one million-worth aids in kind for Iraq's election, training diplomats and professionals in the fields of economic management and energy development.

We expect a peaceful, stable and democratic Iraq to return to the international family. China is ready to make efforts with all parties to facilitate the proper settlement of the Iraq issue.

Q: President Hu has made a successful visit to the Latin America. Some countries have misgivings about China's increasing influence in the Latin-America. How does China evaluate President Hu's visit?

A: The delegation of President Hu Jintao has finished the visit to the four Latin American countries and arrived in Beijing at noon today. As to the general picture of the visit, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who was in company during the visit with President Hu Jintao, has already given a complete and detailed summary for the Chinese correspondents along with the delegation. Here I would like to make a brief introduction. President Hu Jintao's visit to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Cuba was of great importance, which is also the first state visit to the four Latin American countries by the new top leader of the Chinese Government. It marks a new milestone in the history of China-Latin America friendship. The visit yielded plentiful and substantial fruits in the exchanges in various fields such as politics, economy, culture, education, and technology. In total 39 documents for cooperation were signed.

China and the countries in Latin America are all developing countries, and are all committed to developing their own economy and improving people's living standard. We share a lot in common with these countries, thus the further development of the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation is the common aspiration of the two sides, which will also serve their common interests. Meanwhile, the cooperation will be nothing other than beneficial to the world, and generate important impact on the advancement of the course of world peace and development. China will continue to make efforts to further expand the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Latin-American countries, and realize win-win cooperation and sustainable development with the rest of the world.

Q: Does China agree to the referral of the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council? What's China's comment on the outcome of Ukrainian presidential election?

A: I want to use your question to brief on Iranian envoy's recent visit to China. On November 23, Mr. Mousavian, the Iranian envoy for the nuclear issue and secretary of the Foreign Policy Committee of Iranian Supreme National Security Council visited Beijing and briefed China on relevant agreement between Iran and the European Union. The two sides exchanged views over the Iranian nuclear issue. The Chinese side's position is encouraging Iran to conduct all-round cooperation with the IAEA, fulfill relevant resolutions of IAEA Board of Governors and maintain voluntary moratorium on uranium enrichment and reprocessing. We support Iran to continue negotiations with the EU to reach a long-term solution. We hope IAEA Board of Governors can carry out an objective and just deliberation on the basis of its Director-General's report and agreements between Iran and EU and properly handle the issue within the framework of IAEA. China doesn't agree to the referral of the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

As for Ukrainian presidential election, we think the election is Ukraine's internal affair. We have noticed that the Ukrainian Central Election Committee has announced the result. We respect the choice of the Ukrainian people and sincerely hope Ukraine can maintain stability and economic development, its people can live a happy life.

Q: The South Korean press have published some reports on Kim Jong II. One piece of news claimed Kim Jong II has been toppled down. What's your comment? It is reported that the DPRK side reiterates its willingness to join in the Six-Party Talks. How does China think the possibility of holding the Six-Party Talks or working group meetings by the end of this year?

A: Firstly I haven't read the news you mentioned, nor do I know where the news comes from. But recently, we often read some news or comments on DPRK's internal affairs which are completely groundless. The Chinese vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei voiced his opinion on the issue at a news briefing yesterday. These groundless reports and news which make fuss over nothing don't deserve our comment.

As for the Six-Party Talks, we have repeatedly introduced China's position. China's position is very clear. We hope to see a peaceful, stable and nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Relevant issues should be resolved through peaceful means, dialogues and negotiations. We hope to continue to use the mechanism of Six-Party Talks to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Right now relevant parties have reached a consensus on this point. But due to the complexity of this issue, relevant parties are still conducting consultation on when to hold the next round of Six-Party Talks or working group meetings. This can't be decided by China single-handedly. We will continue to negotiate with relevant parties.

Q: The Japanese government expressed today that the summit meeting between the top leaders of China and Japan on the sideline of 10+3 meeting has been cancelled. What's China's comment on this?

A: I haven't read the relevant comments of Japanese officials. China is making careful preparation for Premier Wen Jiabao attending the ASEAN 10+3 and 10+1 meetings and his visit to Laos. We are still consulting with relevant sides over bilateral meetings possibly to be held then.

Thank you!