China appreciated Nepal taking "necessary and just measures" on Tibetan-related issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Thursday.

Liu made the remarks when commenting on the recent detention of Tibetan separatists in Nepal by the local police.

The adoption of necessary and just measures by Nepal shows the country's responsible attitude in this regard, Liu said.

He said some Tibetan separatists, using violence and threats, thronged the Chinese embassy in Nepal to impair China's interests, attempting to separate Tibet from the Chinese territory.

Last Friday, Nepali police detained about 100 Tibetan separatists in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, who tried to throng the visa office of the Chinese Embassy beside a street choked with heavy traffic, shouting anti-China and "Tibet Independence" slogans.

Liu said China did not accept the accusation by the group Human Rights Watch of exerting pressure on Nepal to make arrests.

China was critical of this accusation, Liu noted.

Nepal is a friendly neighbor of China, Liu said, noting that China does not exert pressure on friends and good neighbors, and exerting pressure is not a foreign policy of China.

Liu expressed appreciation for friendly nations' reiteration on many occasions that they would not permit any moves in their territory to infringe on China's interests.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2008)