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)