When commenting on the State Council regulations which were released last Monday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Thursday that they signified a further improvement of legislation on export control.

"As one of the significant measures to improve China's export control of sensitive items, the regulations will further improve China's export control of dual-use biological agents and related equipment and technologies,'' said Zhang in a news release.

Dual-use biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses, have both civil and military applications.

Stressing that China attaches importance to and will continue to conduct exchanges and co-operation for peaceful purposes in the biological field, Zhang said that the rules will help regulate such activities between China and other countries.

As a member of the Biological Weapons Convention, China has fulfilled its duties not to develop, produce and stockpile biological weapons and has never helped other countries acquire or develop biological weapons, according to Zhang.

China has always opposed the proliferation of biological weapons and has taken a full set of strict export control measures, she added.

China's legal basis for non-proliferation efforts can be dated back to the 1994 Law on Foreign Trade which has clearly defined the goods and technologies that are subject to export control.

The regulations are the latest in a series of rules on China's non-proliferation and export control, covering sensitive items in the nuclear, biological, chemical and missile fields.

Also Thursday, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (MOFTEC) Gao Yan said her ministry will work with other departments to take effective measures to guarantee the strict implementation of the regulations and push forward legislation on China's export control.

When asked to respond to the referendum results that have made Saddam Hussein Iraq's president for another seven years, Zhang said that it is China's consistent policy to respect the independent choice made by the people of the country on the election of their leaders.

Zhang also told the press Thursday that the citizen from the Chinese mainland who was slightly injured in the explosion in Bali, Indonesia over the weekend has returned to China and the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia is still trying to obtain information for people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who are still missing in the explosions and are ready to provide all necessary help.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2002)