Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang confirmed at Thursday's regular press conference that China and Japan are "still in the process of consultation" over a proposed meeting between President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during the Asia-Africa Summit in Jakarta. He added that further information would be announced when it became available.

Qin said that the aim of the ongoing speech tour by a group of former Chinese diplomats is to help the public better understand the international situation and China-Japan relations. The tour, launched by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party Central Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, started on April 19 and will last six days with stopovers in Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing.

"The friendly coexistence and win-win cooperation between China and Japan are the only correct choice for the fundamental interests of the two peoples," said Qin.

During the speeches in Tianjin, Wu Jianmin, president of China Foreign Affairs University, urged people to express their feelings in a lawful and orderly way and not to participate in unapproved demonstrations or activities that may affect social stability.

According to Qin, Premier Wen and visiting French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin exchanged views in their talks on furthering Sino-French and Sino-EU ties and on other international issues of common concern. Raffarin is on a three-day visit to China.

China reiterated that the European Union's arms embargo has become an obstacle to the development of the Sino-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, and that the early lifting of the embargo will be conducive to further development of Sino-EU relations. Raffarin reiterated France's support for lifting the embargo.

Commenting on the six-party talks, Qin said, "The six-party talks are the practical and effective way to resolve the Korean nuclear issue."

Earlier this year, the DPRK issued a statement saying that it was indefinitely suspending participation in the talks. Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Communist Party Central Committee, took a message from President Hu Jintao to the DPRK, which said that China continues to seek a nuclear-weapons-free Korean Peninsula and to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue, said Qin Gang.

Later, during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to China, China urged the US to create favorable conditions to resume the talks.

DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju also visited China this month and had an in-depth exchange of views with the Chinese side, he said.

"As a complicated issue, the Korean nuclear issue should be solved at the negotiating table. Other choices don't help the settlement of the issue, and are not conducive to regional stability," Qin said.

China will continue to mediate the new round of six-party talks, and hopes all parties, especially the major players, will show flexibility and sincerity.

When asked to comment on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's report to the congress on Premier Wen Jiabao's India visit from April 9 to 12, Qin said that China appreciates the emphasis the Indian government and leadership have put on relations with China.

During the visit, the two countries established a strategic and cooperative relationship and had in-depth discussions concerning political, economic and cultural cooperation.

Qin said that cooperation between the two countries will be conducive to regional and global peace and stability and to the development of humanity.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, CRI.com April 22, 2005)