"We believe this meeting is necessary at this moment and very important,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a regular press conference held in Beijing.

"So China is making active preparations and plans to attend the meeting.''

Last month in Beijing, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin formally invited President Hu Jintao to attend a meeting before the summit in the town of Evian, in France, on June 1.

It is separate to the scheduled talks between the G8 leaders, with the theme of the development of the world economy.

G8 groups France, Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

The meeting between the southern and northern nations is very important to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, Zhang said, appealing to state leaders to enhance dialogue on major issues on the basis of equality with an open-minded and practical attitude.

"I think this holds important significance for the early recovery of the world economy, world development and cooperation among countries,'' she said.

Zhang said China was also preparing to take part in the annual summit of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Russia at the end of May.

Zhang said this year's summit will allow member countries to discuss issues concerning the organization's development and will allow SCO's framework to be further enhanced.

Taiwan's Participation in WHO Conference Strongly Opposed

Commenting on the Marshall Islands' recent request to invite Taiwan to attend the WHO conference as an observer, Zhang said it lacks legal foundation and violates WHO principles to move any motion concerning Taiwan at the WHO conference, and the Chinese government firmly opposes such move.

The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only sovereign states are eligible to apply for membership, Zhang said. Taiwan, a province of China, is therefore not eligible to participate in the WHO or attend the WHO conference as an observer.

The central government of China is very concerned about the health of all Chinese people, including Taiwanese, and has been active in promoting exchanges and cooperation in the health arena across the Taiwan Straits, sharing information on severe acute respiratory syndrome with related agencies in Taiwan for joint efforts to fight the disease, Zhang said.

The Taiwan issue directly affects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang said, and China opposes any political maneuvers made in the name of health issues.

The WHO conference has refused Taiwan-related proposals for the past six years, which indicates the position of most WHO member states to uphold justice, the spokeswoman said, adding that the initiative on the part of few countries to make any Taiwan-related proposal at the WHO conference will be doomed to failure again.

Int?l Assistance to China for SARS Battle

Zhang also briefed the press on the assistance provided by other countries to help China combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Zhang said many countries have written to or called China to express their sympathy and support in China's battle against SARS.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China held a special meeting on SARS during which it was decided to carry out effective cooperation in combating SARS, she said.

Japan donated medical equipment and medicine valued at 205 million Japanese yen. India provided 400,000 rupee (about US$8,500) worth of medicine following the visit of its Defense Minister to China. The Republic of Korea also donated US$100,000.

The spokeswoman said that Germany, within the framework of China-German financial cooperation, will provide 10 million euro to China to buy medical materials.

The European Union, the United States, Britain and France have all expressed their willingness to help China and are consulting on concrete methods of assistance with China.

She added that many foreign enterprises in China have also made donations for the prevention and treatment of SARS.

Zhang said the information on donations is perhaps incomplete and she will continue to update the press on the evolving situation.

Some Border Ports Temporarily Closed due to SARS

Some Chinese border ports have been closed to prevent SARS from entering neighboring countries, Zhang said.

According to international practice, a country may temporarily close border ports or postpone their opening in epidemic or catastrophic circumstances, she said.

Some seasonal ports between China and Mongolia have been temporarily closed, and the opening of the Khunjirap port between China and Pakistan has been postponed, Zhang said.

Some restrictive measures have been put on the passenger and cargo flow through the ports between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, she said, noting similar measures have also been taken to restrict personnel passage at the border ports between China and Kazakhstan.

China Pleased with Latest India-Pakistan Situation

China is pleased with the development of India-Pakistan situation, according to Zhang at the press conference.

Zhang said both countries have expressed their willingness to improve relations and to take concrete measures. China is pleased to see such a development of the situation.

"Both India and Pakistan are China's neighbors, and we expect them to resolve their differences through peaceful dialogues," Zhang said, also expressing the hope that the countries in this region exert concerted efforts to safeguard and promote the region's peace, stability and development.

Romanian PM to Visit China

Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase will pay an official visit to China on May 14 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao, Zhang announced at Thursday?s press conference.

(Sources from China Daily and Xinhua News Agency, May 9, 2003)