On the afternoon of September 7, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference.

Jiang Yu started the press conference with the following announcement:

Premier Wen Jiabao will attend and address the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2011 ( also known as the "Summer Davos" ) that will be held in Dalian on September 14.

Q: Is China of the view that China-Japan relationship has been improved? Will Chinese leaders consider holding the first meeting with Prime Minister Noda?

A: Premier Wen Jiabao and Prime Minister Noda communicated by phone yesterday. Premier Wen said that the Chinese Government would like to work along with the new Japanese cabinet to maintain high-level interactions, actively expand exchanges and cooperation across the board and push for new progress in bilateral strategic relationship of mutual benefit on the basis of four China-Japan political documents.

We welcome Prime Minister Noda to China at his convenience. I want to stress that as China and Japan are important close neighbours and countries of significant influence on Asia and the world at large, it is in the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples for China and Japan to develop a relationship featuring long-term stability and good-neighbourliness.

Q: The US Republican presidential candidate Romney said that he would push for sanctions against China for manipulating RMB exchange rate. What is your comment?

A: I did not see specific reports. The nature of China-US economic cooperation and trade is mutually beneficial. We have manifested on many occasions that it is our established policy of implementing a managed floating RMB exchange rate regime. China will press ahead with the RMB exchange rate reform under the principle of independent decision-making and in a gradual way. We hope that the US will fully recognize the significance and reciprocity of China-US economic cooperation and trade and stop making excuses for setting obstacles to it.

Q: The Obama Administration may soon come up with the decision of selling arms, including F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan. What is China's comment?

A: We firmly oppose US arms sales to Taiwan and urge the US side to stick to the three China-US Joint Communiqués, especially the principles enshrined in the August 17 Communiqué. The US should fully realize the harmfulness and sensitivity of selling arms to Taiwan and stop doing so so as not to undermine China-US relations as well as the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

Q: A senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) recently said that Palestine would insist on heading for the UN to seek membership. What is China's comment?

A: China always supports the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring national lawful rights and regards the founding of an independent state as an inalienable lawful right of the Palestinian people as well as the precondition and foundation for the peaceful co-existence of Palestine and Israel.

We maintain that an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state should be established along the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as the capital on the basis of peaceful talks. We respect, understand and support Palestine's plan of submitting the issue of founding an independent state to the UN. Meanwhile, China also supports Palestine's balanced strategy of founding an independent state and engaging in peace talks.

Q: It was reported that India and Bangladesh signed a border agreement and some other documents. How do you comment on the improvement of relations between them?

A: Both India and Bangladesh are major countries in South Asia. We are glad to see South Asian countries advancing bilateral relations and promoting political mutual trust through enhanced exchanges and cooperation in a joint effort to safeguard peace, stability and development in the region.

Q: First, does China consider getting in touch with the Syrian opposition? Second, UN Secretary-General said recently that it was too late for Syrian President Assad to deliver his reform pledges. Do you agree with him?

A: On the situation in Syria, China believes it is imperative to ease the tensions as soon as possible so as to avoid further escalation of the situation and greater casualties. At the same time, the dialogue process should actively move forward to peacefully resolve the current crisis through dialogue and consultation.

China has emphasized on many occasions that the correct approach to solve the Syrian issue is to launch an inclusive political process led by Syria. We should give Syria more time to implement reform pledges. Various parties should take part in the peace process in a constructive manner to peacefully resolve the crisis. We believe only resorting to pressure is not a solution.

Jiang Yu finally referred to a symposium to be jointly hosted by China and the UN. She said that the Chinese Government would co-host a high-level symposium with the UN in Beijing from September 8 to 9 in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. Representatives from over 30 countries, a dozen international organizations and institutions as well as renowned experts and scholars in the international environment and development field will be present.

The symposium will focus on the two themes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, namely, "a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication" and "the institutional framework for sustainable development". We hope the symposium will have in-depth discussions over the themes and the results of the Conference on Sustainable Development next year, with a view to contributing to positive and practical results of the Conference.