China hopes that the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula will be continued as a mechanism that serves the interests of all parties concerned, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in Beijing Tuesday.

She said such a mechanism is the most realistic way to push for resolutions of relevant issues.

Zhang told a routine press conference Tuesday afternoon that China hopes to see a smooth progress of the second round of the six-party talks due to open in Beijing Wednesday.

China hopes that the talks will bear fruits and continue to be held in the future. The current talks will be a new starting point for peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, Zhang said, adding that China wishes that the talks will be maintained and continued.

Delegations from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and the United States have already arrived in Beijing to attend the talks, which also include China.

Zhang said the relevant parties have all made earnest and active preparations for the talks. She said the Chinese delegation has already started consultations with the other parties since Monday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held separate consultations with representatives from Russia, the United States and DPRK.

According to the spokeswoman, China will, as always, work hard and make other parties take a flexible and practical attitude in pushing forward the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

With a clear-cut stand, China expects to maintain peace and stability in the peninsula which should be nuclear free, Zhang said.

The nuclear issue is a complicated one, which needs a long process to resolve. And China believes the talks can maintain a good momentum through concerted efforts of various parties, the spokeswoman said.

The second round of six-party talks involves China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.

All sides of the six-party talks hold an "open and flexible attitude" towards the duration of the talks, said Zhang.

She said as the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula was very complicated a solution should be sought by dialogue or through certain mechanism.

China hoped all sides could reach consensus on certain issues, but "that does not mean consensus can be reached on all concrete issues", she said.

The consensus already reached by all sides was that peaceful means were conducive to resolving the issue, she said.

Zhang urged all sides "to fully show their sincerity and flexibility".

Asked about the trilateral talks held by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) before the six-party talks, Zhang said the consultations demonstrated that all sides had made serious preparations for the talks and hoped they would lead to positive progress.

Delegations from the United States, the ROK and Japan held a two-day meeting in Seoul for final policy coordination before the six-party talks.

China is ready to work with the other five parties to push forward the second round of talks, Zhang said.

The spokeswoman noted that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the security concerns of relevant countries cannot be avoided at the upcoming second-round of six-party talks and should be equally addressed.

Zhang declined to make any comment on the issues to be discussed at the six-party talks. She said China will continue to work with all sides and hope the talks will bear some results.

China's stance, she said, is very clear that the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula should be maintained and the peninsula should remain nuclear-free.

China has been making intensive bilateral talks with all sides from Monday after delegations of the other five sides arrived in Beijing. Enditem

China said it stands for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and cites abandoning nuclear programs and solving rational concerns of relevant sides as the two major components of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

The relevant parties will have in-depth discussions on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue at the second round of six-party talks. "Questions will become clearer as the talks proceed," the spokeswoman said.

She went on to say that China will brief on the progress of the delegations' consultations sometime later Tuesday, possibly through a written form.

The Chinese side hopes to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and, as for how to resolve these issues, she noted, "that are precisely what the new round of talks will address."

China, ASEAN to hold special meeting on bird flu

Zhang announced at the press conference that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a special meeting on dealing with avian influenza on March 2 in Beijing.

"Experts and officials of vice-ministerial level from relevant departments of the ten ASEAN nations will attend the meeting at the invitation of the Chinese side," Zhang said.

In addition, the ASEAN secretariat, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health will also participate in the meeting.

Since December of last year, avian influenza has swept parts of some Asian countries, including China. "We hope the meeting could promote international communication and cooperation on the fight against bird flu," Zhang said.

Zhang said the meeting will provide a forum for participants to exchange their experiences on the prevention and control of the disease and analyze the current epidemic condition in Asia.

Detailed preventative and control measures will also be worked out at the meeting, Zhang said, adding that the measures will include the initiative of a China-ASEAN public health cooperative fund as well as technical cooperation and personnel training in relevant fields.

A joint press statement will also be released at the China-ASEAN special meeting, she said.

China opposes foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs

China firmly opposes any other countries to interfere in its internal affairs in any form, Zhang said.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong and its affairs are the internal affairs of China," said Zhang when asked to comment on the so-called report on Hong Kong issued by the British Foreign Ministry.

"It is improper for the British government to comment on the Hong Kong affairs at random," she said.

Hong Kong is the special administrative region under the central government and implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" is the fundamental guarantee for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, she said.

The political institutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) should accord with the Basic Law, which is beneficial to the long-term stability and prosperity of HKSAR and in the all-round and long-term interests of HKSAR, she said.

To keep the long-term stability and prosperity is in the interests of all Chinese people including the Hong Kong compatriots, in the interests of the international community and especially in the interests of foreign investors, she stressed.

She expressed her hope that the British side would keep their promises made by British leaders of making HKSAR the bridge of Sino-British friendship.

China values constructive partnership with India

China attaches great importance to the development of a long-term constructive and cooperative partnership with India, Zhang said.

She made the remark as she was commenting on Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes' speech that the Sino-Indian relations had entered a stage of healthy competition and mutual support.

Zhang said China appreciated the positive comment by Fernandes on the status and development trend of relations.

The relations had entered a new stage after sustained development in recent years, she said, adding that exchanges and cooperation showed bright prospects.

"This was the fruit of joint efforts between the two sides and in the interests of both countries and peoples," she said.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the long-term constructive and cooperative partnership with India," Zhang Qiyue said.

China and India set the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the basic norm for their bilateral relations half a century ago.

Zhang said China was willing to join with India to implement agreements reached by leaders of the two countries so as to promote the Sino-Indian relations to a new stage.

At the beginning of the press conference, Zhang announced that Portuguese Foreign Minister Teresa Gouveia will pay an official visit to China from March 1 to 5 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)