President Hu Jintao will pay successive state visits to
Vietnam, Laos, India and Pakistan from November 15 to 26, Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing
yesterday.
While in Vietnam, Hu will also attend the 14th APEC Economic
Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi from November 17 to 19, she said.
Jiang added that the first meeting under a China-Vietnam
steering committee on cooperation will be held on November 11.
State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, and Vietnamese Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem will co-chair the
meeting in Hanoi, Jiang said, adding that the meeting is to
implement measures agreed to by the two countries' leaders in
August.
President Hu held talks with Vietnamese Communist Party leader
Nong Duc Manh in Beijing on August 22. They agreed to further boost
trade, properly handle border issues and enhance security
cooperation between the two countries.
China, US to hold third strategic dialogue
Jiang said China and the US will hold their third round of
strategic dialogue today, which will be co-chaired by Vice Foreign
Minister Yang Jiechi and US Undersecretary of State for Political
Affairs Nicholas Burns.
"The two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on current
China-US relations, and major international and regional issues of
mutual concern," Jiang said.
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Deputy Foreign Minister Dai
Bingguo will also meet Burns, she added.
Two previous rounds of China-US strategic dialogues were held in
August and December last year.
China calls for resumption of nuclear talks
An early resumption of the Korean nuclear talks is in the
interest of each of the six parties involved, fulfills the hope of
the international community, and will help ease tensions on the
Korean Peninsula, Jiang said.
China has spared no efforts in maintaining peace and stability
on the peninsula and Northeast Asia through the six-party talks mechanism, she noted.
Chief delegates from China, North Korea and the US had an
informal meeting in Beijing on October 31.
The six-party talks, involving China, the US, Russia, Japan,
South and North Korea, have remained stalled since the last round
of meetings held in Beijing in November 2005.
Tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula and the situation became
more complicated after North Korea conducted an underground nuclear
test on October 9, triggering protests from the international
community.
China fully supports Margaret Chan's candidacy for WHO
leadership
Jiang said the Chinese government fully supports the notion of
Margaret Chan as director-general of the World Health Organization
(WHO).
While calling on members of the WHO Executive Board to support
Chan, she said Chan is very capable, experienced and the right
person for the job.
Chan took a slight lead with 32 votes in the first round of
voting on Monday evening, followed by other four candidates from
Japan, Mexico, Kuwait and Spain.
Saddam's fate should be decided by Iraqis
The fate of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should be
decided by the Iraqi people, Jiang said.
China hopes to see stability in Iraq and a return to peace for the Iraqi people
at an early date, she added.
Saddam was sentenced to death by hanging on Sunday after being
found guilty of crimes against humanity.
China calls for peaceful solution to Israeli,
Palestinian disputes
Jiang urged Palestine and Israel to exercise restraint in the
wake of an Israeli military operation in Gaza.
"China has always insisted that Palestine-Israel disputes should
be solved through peaceful negotiations, and opposes any move that
could escalate tension in the region," she said.
"China urges the parties concerned to exercise restraint and
avoid worsening the situation."
A large-scale Israeli operation, dubbed "Autumn Clouds," began
on November 1 and has resulted in some 200 deaths and injuries of
Palestinian civilians, over which "China has expressed its deep
concern and worry," Jiang said.
China hopes for social stability in Kirgizstan
Jiang said China sincerely hopes that Kirgizstan will maintain
social stability, economic growth and peace.
She made the remarks in response to a question on recent
political tensions in Bishkek, saying that China believes
Kirgizstan, as a friendly neighbor of China and a member of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is able to solve the problem within a
legal framework.
She also expressed the hope that the international community
would play a constructive role in helping to maintain stability in
the Central Asian country.
Italian deputy premier to visit
Jiang announced that Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister
Massimo D'Alema will visit China from November 12 to 15.
D'Alema and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will co-preside
over the Second Joint Meeting of the China-Italy Governmental
Committee, she said.
(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2006)
