China opposes hegemonism, stressing peace, democracy

    China opposes hegemonism and advocates peace, multi-lateralism and democracy in international relations, Li told the press conference..

    The theme of our times is peace and development but hegemonism remains a threat, Li said, reviewing late senior Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's remarks on China's foreign policy of peace.

    "We are against any country that practices hegemonism; we are against any country that commits aggression on others; we are fair in our words and in our deeds," he said.

    China receives 52 heads of state, government in 2004

    Li said that a total of 52 heads of state and government of foreign countries visited China in 2004.

    "Over the past year we received 29 visiting heads of state and 23 heads of government of foreign countries," said Li.

    Top Party and state leaders of China, including President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and Jia Qinglin, chairman of China's top advisory body, the Chinese People 's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited 34 countries

    across the world in 2004 to "make many good friends for their motherland", added the minister.

    "It is very important for us to make friends in the international community as we are trying our best to implement the principle of 'doing diplomatic work for the people'," he explained.

    China now has 235 diplomatic missions worldwide, with a total of 5,600-strong staff members. Among them, more than 3,200 are from his ministry, Li said.

    China's energy import exerts limited impact on global oil price

    China, both an energy consumer and producer, should not be responsible for the world's rising oil prices, Li said.

    "Although China's energy import has increased a little bit over the past two years, its import only accounts for approximately 6 percent of the world's total traded oil," he said.

    It's true that China's energy demand has increased to certain extent as the country's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years, he said, but the demand is mainly to be met domestically, he said.

    Besides, he added, there is a big potential of saving energy and improving the use of energy efficiency in China's domestic energy supply.

    Therefore, the media criticism saying that China is a major impact on the world's oil price is "groundless", he said.

    China ready to further friendship, cooperation with Singapore¡¡

¡¡¡¡In response to a Singaporean journalist's question on Sino-Singaporean relations, Li said China appreciates the Singaporean government's adherence to the one-China principle and opposition to "Taiwan independence".

    He said China is willing and ready to further deepen the friendly relations and cooperation with Singapore in the United Nations and other international organizations as well as the regional cooperative frameworks of "10+1" and "10+3", meaning the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus China (10+1), and plus China, Japan and South Korea (10+3), respectively.

    ASEAN groups Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.

    This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Singaporean diplomatic relations. Enditem