Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing answers a question during the press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 6, 2005. (Xinhua Photo)

    BEIJING, Mar. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The six-party talks on the North Korea nuclear issue should be continued despite many difficulties in the peace process, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Sunday.

    China hopes major parties to show flexibility, sincerity and patience for early re-opening of the talks, Li said at a press conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People's Congress.

A foreign journalist raises a question during the press conference given by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 6, 2005.(Xinhua Photo)

    The minister urged the US and North Korea to engage in direct talks to increase mutual trust and understanding.

    "No matter how difficult the process is," the top diplomat said, "China always adheres to the position for making peace and facilitating the talks in an objective and impartial way."

    Li said that China pursues the objective for a nuclear-free, peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula.

    Meanwhile, he said, "the legitimate concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should be addressed."

    "The six-party talks present a realistic choice for the resolution on the nuclear issue through dialogue," he said, adding that the talks are in the interest of all the parties.

    The pressing task of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is for the two major parties concerned to gradually increase trust and understanding, said Li.

    "The United States of America is a sovereign state, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is also a sovereign state," Li said while answering a question from an Associated Press reporter about what steps China would take to "compel" the DPRK back to the six-party talks.

    Li said peace is the most valuable thing, and called for concerted efforts of all parties concerned to resume the six-party talks, which will be conducive to realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability there.

    The supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea still pursues the objective for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, according to Li.

    Li said that after receiving the verbal message from Chinese President Hu Jintao, the DPRK supreme leader said they still pursue the objective for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

    "They remain ready and willing to continue to participate in the six-party talks," Li said, "they hope the rest of the parties should display more sincerity."

    China to promote world peace and stability

    China's foreign policy and diplomacy aim at promoting peace, prosperity and cooperation in the world Sunday.

    "We will continue to work together with the international community to bring about a world with fewer conflicts and more peace, less poverty and more prosperity, and fewer troubles and more cooperation," said Li.

    Asked to comment on the Chinese foreign policy and diplomacy, the minister said that China's diplomacy serves both the Chinese people and people of other countries in the world.

    "Over the past year, we have done our work earnestly and wholeheartedly to bring about a peaceful and stable international environment for the development of the country and improvement of the people's livelihood," said Li.

    He added that the Chinese diplomats have adhered to the principle of "doing diplomatic work for the people", protected the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and legal persons abroad, and "properly handled" emergency incidents such as attacks against the Chinese citizens abroad.

    "We stand for peaceful resolution of international disputes, and we have played our part conscientiously in the settlement of the regional hot-spot issues," said the minister, adding that China is finding "more and more friends and partners" around the world.

    The minister said that China's diplomacy serves both the Chinese and people of the world.

    Taiwan issue should not be considered in US-Japan security arrangement

    The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair and should by no means be deliberated in the framework of the security alliance between the United States and Japan, said Li.

    Li, who served as Chinese Ambassador to the United States in Washington in 1998-2001, called the US-Japan military alliance a "bilateral arrangement that occurred under special circumstances during the Cold War" and urged it to "be strictly restricted to the bilateral nature".

    If it goes beyond its bilateral scope, the US-Japan alliance will definitely "arouse uneasiness on the part of Asian countries and bring complicated factors to the regional security situation",said the minister.

    President Hu to attend APEC summit in ROK

    Li confirmed that Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend the informal leaders' meeting of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation in the Republic of Korea (ROK) this year.

    The itinerary of President Hu will be announced by the Foreign Ministry spokesman, he said without giving details.

    It is "very likely" that Chinese President Hu Jintao would go to the United States this year for celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, the diplomat said.

    China sovereignty over Diaoyu Islands "indisputable"

    China has "indisputable, historical and legal sovereignty" over the Diaoyu Island and the adjacent islands. Relevant problems should be solved through talks on the basis of facts and should not affect the healthy development of the Sino-Japanese ties, he said.

    He called for concerted efforts of the two countries in handling historical issues and the Taiwan issue "properly" as well as continuing to strengthen cooperation on the basis of the two nations' "overall interests".

    The minister said that "proper conditions and atmosphere" should be created to facilitate the resumption of the exchange of high-level visits between China and Japan.

    "We should proceed from the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and follow the principle of 'draw lessons from history and look into the future'," said the minister.

    "We should proceed from the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and follow the principle of 'draw lessons from history and look into the future'," said the minister.

    In response to a Japanese reporter's question when the premier and prime minister of China and Japan can resume the exchange of visits after several years of halt, Li said that he believes Japan and China, and the peoples of both countries, should carry forward their friendship from generation to generation.

    "Over the past couple of years, the leaders of the two countries have been meeting for several times on multilateral occasions, and they have had very friendly discussions," he added.

    Li said Sunday that said relations between China and Japan were achieved as a result of the "long-term and arduous efforts" made by generations of leaders, governments and peoples of the two nations.

    "It is a hard-won result and deserves to be cherished," said the minister.

    To maintain sound relations with Japan is a set policy of China and the Sino-Japan friendship should continue from "generation to generation".

    China to expand ties with Pakistan

    Li expressed his belief that China and Pakistan will further strengthen their bilateral relations and cooperation in multi-lateral spheres and various regional organizations.

    This is conducive not only to our peoples, but to the regional development and stability, he said.

    During this process, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) will play a role as a bridge and unite the Asian countries together, Li said.

    The Chinese foreign minister said China and Pakistan are friends under "all weather conditions."

    We wish the Fourth Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the ACD to be held next month in Pakistan a success, he said.

    Taiwan "Dollar diplomacy" an act of "Taiwan independence"

    Taiwan secessionist forces have done everything they can, including the "dollar diplomacy", or the "bribery diplomacy", to achieve their goal of "Taiwan independence ", said Li.

    Sino-Russian relations are good

    The foreign minister referred to the Sino-Russian ties as "successful and Fruitful".

    Li said the two sides had completely resolved their boundary issues left over from history during Russian President Putin's state visit to China last year. From then on, the Sino-Russian border line has become a border of "peace, friendship and cooperation".

    This is beneficial to the peoples of both countries, and peace and stability in the region and the world, said Li.

    Li said bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, culture, education and military have been developing steadily.

    In addition, the two sides are conducting effective and substantive cooperation in more than 100 inter-state organizations,including the United Nations, and regional organizations including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

    EU arms embargo on China "obsolete, useless"

    The maintenance of the European arms embargo on China is "obsolete and useless", Li Zhaoxing said.

    Chinese foreign minister on China-US relations

    Li Zhaoxing said that Sino-US relations have being making headway as the two countries share extensive interests.

    It is entirely helpful for the two countries to conduct mutual cooperation in a wide range for the benefits of the two peoples, said Li.

    To ensure a healthy development, a long term and strategic view should be adopted, said Li. First of all, the view should be adopted to deal with the most sensitive issue in the Sino-US relations, that is, the Taiwan issue.

    In other words, it is essential for the two countries to abide by principles in Sino-US joint communique, said the foreign minister.

    Li also said that it is very likely for President Hu Jintao to attend the 60th anniversary celebration of the United Nations as UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has extended very warm invitations for many times for Hu to come to the UN headquarters and attend the celebration.

    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.Enditem