Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Thursday that four Chinese company staff were injured in a car bomb explosion that happened outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta Thursday morning.

Kong told a regular news briefing that the four people had been rushed to hospital for treatment and staff from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia had visited them at the hospital.

The injured are from China's Huawei Company, which is located near the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Another foreign employee of the company was also injured, according to the spokesman.

Kong said China's Embassy in Indonesia has asked all the Chinese enterprises in Indonesia to be highly alert, enhance preventative measures and pay high attention to security.

Reports said at least seven people were killed and nearly 100 were injured in the explosion.

"The scale of the explosion and the injuries and death toll were shocking," Kong said.

The spokesman said China has noticed that the Indonesian government has taken active measures and the Indonesian police were carrying out investigation into the issue. "The causes and targets of the incident are still subject to the investigation by the Indonesian side."

Kong said China was closely following the situation and had expressed condolences to the governments and peoples concerned.

Also at yesterday's briefing, Kong said China firmly sides with Russia in battling against international terrorism, separatism and extremism and supports the Russian government in its efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The hostage crisis in South Russia's North Ossetia has brought the Russian people enormous sorrow, and China is expressing condolences and assisting by actions, Kong said.

The Chinese government is providing medicine and medical facilities worth of 10 million yuan (about US$1.22 million) and US$100,000 in cash to the Russian government, Kong said. If necessary, he added, China will send doctors to help as well.

Terrorism, separatism and extremism are major threats to the region, he acknowledged. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which aims to combat these three evil forces, should play a further role by enhancing cooperation and developing new ways of cooperation among members, said the spokesman.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2004)