The Chinese government will take every measure necessary to
secure the safety, lives and property of resident Chinese in the
Solomon Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Qin Gang, said at a
regular press conference on Thursday.
During the recent unrest in the Solomon Islands' capital
Honiara, dozens of residences and shops in Chinatown were looted
and set on fire. Hundreds of local Chinese residents were forced to
flee their homes.
Violence erupted in the South Pacific island chain on Tuesday
after Snyder Rini was elected prime minister.
Qin said the Chinese government is extremely concerned about the
situation.
The Chinese government has requested that Solomon Island
authorities act immediately to protect the lives and property of
Chinese residents, Qin said.
He expressed his sympathy for the Chinese people affected by the
unrest.
Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered the Foreign Ministry to closely
follow developments and to do everything it can to secure the
safety of Chinese people in the Solomon Islands, Qin said.
Because China and the Solomon Islands do not have diplomatic
relations, the ministry's requests have been made through the
governments of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Requests have also been made to these governments to extend
assistance to Chinese nationals if necessary.
Appeals for aid, if required, have also been made to the Red
Cross and Red Crescent societies.
Orders have been sent for diplomats from the Chinese Embassy in
Papua New Guinea to monitor the situation from the ground.
To date, about 500 Chinese nationals, including five from Hong
Kong, have been moved to safety to Solomon Island police
headquarters.
Qin also advised against traveling to the Solomon Islands until
the tension is eased.
According to Radio New Zealand, "a tense calm" settled on
Thursday over the Solomon Islands after 180 Australian soldiers and
police arrived in Honiara to quell violent protests.
A curfew was called across the city on Wednesday and police were
given the power to arrest people on suspicion of inciting violence
and hold them without charge for up to a week.
Canada's economic espionage charges slammed as
groundless
China on Thursday said that Canada's charges of economic
espionage were "groundless" and "irresponsible."
"China has not been engaged in any so-called economic espionage
in Canada," Qin said.
Qin made the statement when asked to comment on a report that a
senior Canadian official had accused China of conducting espionage
activities in Canada by stealing information on Canadian industry
and technology.
"The accusation against China is completely groundless and
irresponsible," Qin said, adding that China is seriously concerned
about the accusation.
"We hope the Canadian government can make a clear distinction
between right and wrong, and promote rather than harm the healthy
development of Sino-Canadian relations," Qin said.
China to contribute to peace, stability in S. Asia
China will make concerted efforts with South Asian countries to
promote regional peace and stability, Qin said.
Praising the four-point guidelines granting observer status to
China and Japan prepared by the Standing Committee of the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) last Tuesday,
Qin said China would explore new ways of promoting mutual
beneficial cooperation so as to seek common prosperity and
development with South Asian nations.
This would "unfold a new chapter" in the bilateral relations
between China and the SAARC, Qin said.
Noting that China and South Asian countries were friendly
neighbors and had extensive common interests in safeguarding
regional peace and stability, Qin expressed the wish that all
procedures be finalized soon so that China could become a
fully-fledged observer at an early date.
The SAARC Standing Committee has also decided in principle to
grant South Korea and the US observer status.
The SAARC, which was formed in 1985, consists of seven
countries, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives,
Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.
US urged to 'properly' handle Chinese terrorist suspects at
Guantanamo
China urged the US to properly handle the terrorist suspects of
Chinese nationality held at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
"The US should deal with the terrorist suspects held at
Guantanamo Bay in a prudent, responsible and proper manner," Qin
said.
The US should take into consideration international
anti-terrorism cooperation and China-US relations and abide by
international law, Qin said.
The Pentagon posted a list of 558 detainees on its website on
Wednesday after continued criticism of the secrecy surrounding the
detention center.
Qin said that terrorism is the common enemy of the international
community.
"The East Turkistan terrorist forces constitute part of
international terrorist forces, posing serious threats to the
international community, including China and the US, and people's
lives and property," Qin said.
"China hopes and believes that the international community can
understand and support China's crackdown on East Turkistan
terrorist forces."
China urges restraint in solving Iran nuclear
issue
Qin urged restraint and flexibility in resolving the Iran
nuclear issue through negotiations.
"There is still room for resolving the issue through
negotiations, and we hope all parties concerned will continue to
try to seek a proper solution in this way," Qin said.
He said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai attended
a six-nation meeting on the Iran nuclear issue in Moscow on Tuesday
and expressed China's concern about the current situation.
Representatives from the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and
Germany attended the Moscow meeting.
China supports the early resumption of talks between the EU and
Iran, Qin said.
Qin noted that following the visit to Iran, Cui visited Russia
and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The two sides
exchanged views on the Iran nuclear standoff and other issues
related to bilateral relations, he said.
The two sides agreed to strengthen contacts and cooperation in
the Iran nuclear issue to jointly promote the peaceful solution to
the issue, Qin said, adding China will continue to support Russia
in this regard.
SCO to stage summit, ministerial meetings?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold a summit
and several ministerial meetings soon, Qin said.
"The SCO will hold not only a summit in Shanghai in mid-June,
but also a meeting for defense ministers and a meeting for foreign
ministers later this month and in mid-May respectively," Qin
said.
Dubbed a new model for regional cooperation, the SCO was founded
in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, aiming to promote regional security
and fight terrorism.
The permanent members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its four observer states are
Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran.
"China expects that a string of activities will help step up the
dialogue, consultation and cooperation between SCO member states
and help promote regional peace, stability and security," Qin
said.
Since its founding, the SCO has built up a respectable image of
peace, cooperation, openness and progress in the international
community, Qin said. "China looks forward to the continued progress
of the SCO."
(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)