Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing on Thursday that China welcomes the Rome Declaration signed between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and calls on the international community to set up a new security concept.
Kong noted at a regular press briefing that the Rome Declaration signed on May 28 leads to the establishment of the NATO-Russia Council. China welcomes such a move and considers it as reflecting a new change in the European region.
China hopes the establishment of the NATO-Russia Council will help maintain the peace and stability of Europe, said Kong, adding that China also hopes it will help set up a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefits, equality and collaboration in Europe and even on a world scale.
Upon relations between Russia and the United States, Kong said China welcomes the improvement of ties between the two countries.
Russia and the United States are both permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN), and the two major nuclear powers in the world, said Kong, noting the improvement in their relations will help maintain world peace and stability.
The Chinese government has its own view on maintaining world peace and stability, Kong said, stressing that China holds that a decade after the Cold War, the international community should carefully consider setting up a new security concept with mutual trust, mutual benefits, equality and collaboration at its core.
Kong added that the Chinese government opposes military alliances in any form and hopes the international community will work to create a peaceful global environment of long-term stability and security.
China also expects NATO to adapt to the needs of changing times, abide by the UN Charter and its tenets, and play a proactive role in promoting peace and stability in Europe and the world at large, Kong said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2002)
