China has asked relevant parties in Myanmar to show restraint and properly handle the current situation, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference yesterday.

 

 

"As a neighbor, China is greatly concerned about the situation in Myanmar, and we hope that all parties in Myanmar show restraint and properly handle the current situation," Jiang said.

 

Jiang called on the concerned parties in Myanmar to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated and spreading, and not to affect the peace and stability in Myanmar and surrounding regions.

 

China expects Myanmar could commit itself to improving the living conditions of its people. Safeguarding the rapprochement among different ethnic groups to resume peace and stability as soon as possible is important, said Jiang.

 

Jiang also refuted reports that China has not exerted full influence on the issue.

 

"We have noticed some false reports from particular media sources," said Jiang, "They totally slander China out of ulterior motives."

 

China hopes that the international media would make objective reports; "Do not add fuel to the fire" but simply report the situation as it is, she said.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon decided earlier on Wednesday to send Ibrahim Gambari as his special envoy to Myanmar amid reports of turmoil in the Southeast Asian country.

 

"China supports the UN Secretary-General and his special envoy's mediating activities on Myanmar issue," the spokeswoman said.

 

The international community should provide constructive assistance to Myanmar so as to alleviate the situation.

 

Myanmar's military leaders imposed a curfew and banned gatherings of more than five people on Tuesday after thousands of Buddhist monks and their supporters defied the authorities' warnings and staged another day of protests.

 

Heavy oil delivery to N Korea

 

Fifty thousand tons of heavy oil assistance provided by China has recently arrived in North Korea, Jiang said, adding that China was willing to cooperate with other parties to implement the joint document issued on February 13 in a all-round and balanced way so as to continuously push forward the process of the six-party talks.

 

China hopes that all the parties involved will continue making active efforts to ensure that the second phase of the sixth round of the six-party talks will achieve positive results, Jiang said.

 

The target for this phase of the talks is to conduct in-depth discussions on follow-up actions to be taken for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, she said.

 

North Korea, under a joint document issued at the six-party talks on February 13, should openly disclose all nuclear programs and disable all existing nuclear facilities in exchange for one million tons of heavy oil or equivalent aid.

 

South Korea provided the first batch of 50,000 tons of heavy oil assistance. China's is the second batch.

 

The six-party talks, initiated in 2003, involve China, North and South Korea, the US, Russia and Japan.

 

Iceland's, Philippine presidents to visit

 

Jiang announced that President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson will pay a work visit to China from October 2 to 11 at the invitation of President Hu Jintao.

 

President Grimsson is also invited to watch the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games that runs from October 2 to 11 in China's economic powerhouse Shanghai.

 

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is invited to watch the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai from October 2 to 3.

 

President Arroyo will also visit Yantai, a coastal city in the eastern China province of Shandong, said Jiang.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)