Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Tuesday that China is convinced that the Russian government will appropriately handle its investigation into Yukos, Russia's largest oil producer, and that it is a strictly internal affair. The investigation would not produce any impact on the China-Russia oil pipeline project.

Responding to questions about Russia's Yukos company and the proposed Sino-Russian oil pipeline project, Zhang said at a regular news briefing in Beijing that the project has been confirmed by the two governments many times and will be a major component in economic and energy cooperation between the two countries.

The project was a leading cooperative project in energy, economy and technology, which has been openly promised by both governments on numerous occasions, Zhang acknowledged.

At the eighth regular consultation of Chinese and Russian premiers, Zhang noted, the two sides agreed to abide by the principles set forth by the two heads of state in their joint statement on May 27 this year and continue to implement the China-Russia oil pipeline project.

She said China noticed that Russian officials had expressed Russia's willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in the energy field and to fulfill their commitment to building the project.

"China is willing to actively cooperate with the Russian side to implement as soon as possible the consensus and agreements that the two sides have reached on the project," Zhang said.

On Oct. 25, Yukos Chief Executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested on charges of fraud, tax evasion and five other offenses. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office later froze trading in the company's shares.

Zhang also told the press that Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, one of the top diplomats involved in efforts to defuse the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan this month.

Dai will be in ROK from November 9-12 and Japan from November 12-16 on a trip that comes just one week after a visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by senior Chinese leader Wu Bangguo.

Dai's visit is regarded as China's latest move to push for the continuance of the six-party talks on this issue.

"China will continue to work with other parties to push for the next round of six-party talks,'' Zhang said.

Responding to reports that the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the European Union are considering suspension of light water projects in the DPRK, Zhang said all related parties should take more positive actions to create a sound atmosphere for the second round talks.

On the topic of Pakistani President Musharraf's visit to China, Zhang said both sides will strengthen cooperation in nontraditional security areas in the future, including terrorism, national splittism and religious extremism.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's state visit to China was of vital importance for further strengthening the Sino-Pakistan traditional friendship and mutual cooperation, Zhang said.

She described President Musharraf's visit as one "inheriting the past and forging ahead into the future."

Since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 52 years ago, Zhang noted, China and Pakistan had always treated each with utmost sincerity and established comprehensive friendly cooperation with mutual trust and support.

The eight documents signed during President Musharraf's visit would strongly improve Sino-Pakistan ties, the spokeswoman said.

President Musharraf arrived in Beijing Monday afternoon for a three-day state visit at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Zhang also reiterated China's opposition to any official contact between Taiwan and the United States when asked to comment on a handshake between Taiwan "leader'' Chen Shui-bian and US Secretary of State Colin Powell when the two men met in Panama recently.

Turning to reports that there is increasing appeal in Japan to reduce its official development assistance to China, Zhang said China is still a developing country though it has made progress in high technology, as demonstrated by last month's successful launch of the Shenzhou V spacecraft.

Also at yesterday's briefing, the spokeswoman announced John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom will pay an official visit to China from Nov. 10 to 14 at the invitation of Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju.

(Sources including China Daily and Xinhua News Agency, November 5, 2003)