China expressed strong dissatisfaction and regret over former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's visit to Taiwan, urging Tokyo to keep its commitments on the Taiwan issue.

 

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu lodged the protest at yesterday's regular press briefing over Mori's visit and his meeting with Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian. Chen on Wednesday conferred a special medal on Mori, after he arrived in Taipei for a three-day visit on Tuesday.

 

"The Japanese government allowed its former prime minister to go to Taiwan and meet Chen Shui-bian, a move that has ignored China's solemn concerns. We feel strong dissatisfaction and regret about this," Jiang said.

 

She said the Taiwan issue is tied to China's core interests and forms a basis of Sino-Japanese political relations, while demanding the Japanese government take effective measures to handle its relations with Taiwan in a proper way.

 

"In particular there should not be any political contact with secessionist forces in favor of 'Taiwan independence'," she said.

 

Mori, 69, served as Japan's prime minister for about a year from April 2000. Despite a fierce protest from China, his administration granted a visa to Taiwan's former leader Lee Teng-hui to visit Japan.

 

Six-party talks

 

In response to reports that US envoy Christopher Hill will travel to China next week to discuss resuming the six-party talks over Pyongyang's nuclear issue, Jiang said she is not able to confirm the news.

 

Hill, US assistant secretary of state, said on Tuesday after a whirlwind one-day visit to Beijing that he believed the talks were likely to resume in mid-December. The US State Department said Wednesday that Hill is due to leave Sunday for Beijing for further talks and will continue efforts to convene a new round of negotiations, according to the Associated Press.

 

Jiang repeated China's stance on the nuclear talks, urging all parties to work together to push forward the talks. "The date of the next round of six-party talks is still under discussion," she noted.

 

The six-party talks launched in 2003 were suspended last November when Pyongyang walked out in protest against financial sanctions imposed by Washington.

 

After carrying out a nuclear test on October 9, the North Korean government agreed to return to the talks with China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US, without indicating a specific date.

 

10th ASEAN+3 summit?

 

China is to send a high-level delegation to the 10th ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) summit to be held in Cebu City in the central Philippines, and expressed hope for positive results, Jiang said.

 

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders will exchange in-depth views on consolidating cooperation and using the 10+3 format as the main channel to build an East Asian community.

 

The 10-member ASEAN is a regional organization comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

 

The Philippines will host the ASEAN, ASEAN+3 summits and an East Asian regional summit from December 11 to 14.

 

Assassination of Lebanese minister?

 

Jiang voiced condemnation at the assassination of Lebanon's Minister of Industry, Pierre Gemayel.

 

China hopes all relevant parties in Lebanon will maintain calm to safeguard the country's political stability and national unity, she noted.

 

Gemayel, a Christian leader in Lebanon and son of former President Amin Gemayel, was killed on Tuesday by a gunshot in the head when his convoy was attacked on a street in Jedeide, about 15 km northeast of Beirut.

 

Lebanon is experiencing a political crisis, exacerbated by UN demands for an international tribunal meant to probe into the killing of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005, a demand neighboring Syria strongly rejects.

 

Envoy to attend Mexico's presidency handover ceremony, Albanian FM to visit

 

Jiang said Minister of Communications Li Shenglin will attend the presidency handover ceremony of Mexico as special envoy of the Chinese government.

 

Felipe Calderon of the ruling National Action Party won the July 2 presidential election and will take office on December 1.

 

Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Besnik Mustafaj will visit China from November 26 to December 1 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing, Jiang announced.

 

Chinese safe in riot-stricken Kinshasa

 

Sources with the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Chinese nationals are safe despite unrest on Tuesday that pitted riot police and UN peacekeepers against supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba, who lost last month's presidential election.

 

The sources said the local embassy had activated emergency mechanisms and offered safety guidance to Chinese enterprises and compatriots. No loss of life or injury has been reported so far.

 

The normal lives of the more than 800 Chinese living in Kinshasa have not been interrupted by the riot, the sources said.

 

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)