Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, on behalf of the Chinese government, attended a ceremony hosted Tuesday evening in Beijing by Michael William Marine, US minister counselor to China, to commemorate the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.. Li reiterated the stance of the Chinese government and said China is ready to work with the US to strengthen dialogues and cooperation in anti-terrorism issues.

Li expressed sympathy for the relatives of those who died or were injured during the attacks as well as the US people as a whole.

He said that, just as Chinese President Jiang Zemin had said over the phone to US President George W. Bush, the attacks were a challenge to the sincere aspirations for peace of the peoples of the whole world.

He said that the Chinese government opposes any form of terrorism, strongly condemning the horrifying incident.

He noted that China and the US have conducted fruitful consultations and cooperation in the field of anti-terrorism since the incident, establishing a medium- and long-term mechanism for the anti-terrorism task.

He added that China is ready to work with the US to strengthen dialogues and cooperation in this regard.

Li said that upheavals in the international situation show that China and the US have broad common interests, although they still have differences.

Developing constructive and cooperative relations between the two countries conforms to the interest of the two peoples, and benefits peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, he added.

(People's Daily December 12, 2001)