BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has urged Canada to extradite alleged smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing as soon as possible to face trial in China, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in Beijing on Tuesday.

    Lai is accused of leading a ring which conducted, in collaboration with corrupt officials in coastal Xiamen City, the biggest smuggling operation uncovered in China since 1949. The case involved goods worth 10 billion U.S. dollars.

China urges U.S. to ease restriction on high-tech export

    BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged the United States to ease its restrictions on exports of high-tech products to China, which holds a pivotal position in bilateral trade.

    "China hopes the United States could throw away 'Cold War' ideology and continually relax its restrictions on exports of high-tech products to China from the perspective of bilateral cooperation and strategic relations," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

US chief negotiator to visit China for consultation on six-party talks

    BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill will visit China on Wednesday and Thursday for exchange of views with the Chinese side on the six-party talks, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in Beijing Tuesday.

    Hill, also the U.S. chief negotiator for the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue, will talk with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei on promoting the six-party talks.

China hopes Israel ties will be unharmed by Zahar's visit

    BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government hopes China-Israel relations will be unaffected by the attendance of Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmud al-Zahar at the upcoming China-Arab ministerial meeting, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao on Tuesday.

    The Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum is to be held in Beijing on May 31 and June 1. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his counterparts or their representatives from 22 Arab countries and the Arab League (AL) will attend.

Chinese, Japanese FMs to hold meeting in Qatar

    BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso will hold meeting on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, scheduled to be held in Qatar on May 23 and 24.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao revealed the news on Tuesday.

    "In the past two weeks, the two sides have kept contacting and conducting consultations with one another about the meeting," Liu told a regular press conference held in Beijing on Tuesday.