China said that it had valued the work of resigning
US Secretary of State Colin Powell to boost Sino-US ties.
"Powell has paid a number of visits to China during
his tenure and made positive efforts to improve and develop Sino-US
relations, of which we express our appreciation," Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told a regular news briefing in Beijing on
Tuesday.
The 67-year-old Powell submitted his letter of
resignation to President George W. Bush on Friday.
Speaking of future Sino-US relations, Zhang
acknowledged that the two countries share extensive common
interests and foundations for cooperation.
"We are ready to join hands with the US in further
enhancing exchanges and cooperation in various fields and properly
addressing each other's concerns," Zhang said.
In response to the words of a US State Department
spokesperson, Zhang urged the US not to send mixed messages to
Taiwan's separatist forces.
The US State Department had said there were
"positive and constructive" contents in a statement released
earlier by the Taiwan authorities. Zhang warned Washington it
should be "fully aware of the fraudulence and grave danger'' posed
by pro-independence forces.
Moving on to the nuclear agreement reached between
Iran and the European Union, Zhang said China welcomes Iran's
decision to voluntarily suspend all uranium enriching and
reprocessing activities and its agreement with the EU.
Zhang said China has always advocated the proper
solution of the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiation and made
positive efforts to this end. China hopes it can be appropriately
resolved within the framework of International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) at an early date, and "will
continue to play a constructive role to this end," she
emphasized.
Meanwhile, she said China remains committed to the
next round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue, adding
that the talks are the most viable way to denuclearize the
peninsula.
In another development, the spokeswoman said China
hopes that the government of Vanuatu will keep to its 1982
communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations with
China.
"Vanuatu promised very clearly that the government
of the People's Republic of China is the only legal government and
that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China," Zhang said.
On November 10, Vanuatu's council of ministers had
voted against Prime Minister Serge Vohor's decision to establish
"diplomatic ties" with Taiwan, but on Monday they changed their
minds.
Turning to the Indo-Pak peace process, Zhang said
China supports dialogue as the means to settle the future of the
disputed Kashmir region.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said last
Thursday the situation in Kashmir is progressing and India will
reduce troop numbers in the region. The prime ministers of India
and Pakistan will hold talks on the Kashmir issue in the near
future.
Also at yesterday's briefing, Zhang said China
hopes consensus can be reached at the upcoming 12th Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) informal leadership meeting. She said
President Hu Jintao
will attend and make important statements on China's stance on
cooperation between APEC members
The meeting, to be held in the Chilean capital of
Santiago on November 20 and 21, will discuss trade and investment
liberalization, economic cooperation, WTO talks and APEC
reforms.?
Referring to the 8th ASEAN +3 (APT) summit, to be
held in the Laotian capital of Vientiane from November 29 to 30,
she said the cooperation mechanism is the most important channel
for exchange in the East Asian region.
Zhang said China has always valued and actively
participated in the mechanism, which includes the ten ASEAN nations
plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
She said Premier Wen
Jiabao will attend the meeting, where leaders from
participating nations will discuss their long-term objectives.
(Sources including CRI.com, China Daily and
Xinhua News Agency, November 17, 2004)