China Thursday urged the United States to honor its commitment to recognize Tibet as a part of China and not support "Tibet independence."

"We have lodged our representation to the US side," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a news conference responding to the Dalai Lama's three-week visit to the US, which began yesterday.

The Dalai Lama is not simply a religious figure but a political exile who has long been committed to separatist activities, Kong said.

He said the US has repeatedly acknowledged to China that Tibet is a part of China and the US will not support Tibet's independence and will not allow the Dalai Lama to conduct separatist activities in the US.

Noting the importance of mutual high-level exchanges between China and the United States, Kong said the two nations are still in consultation over upcoming visits by Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-President Dick Cheney.

When asked to comment on the United States' nuclear proliferation security initiative, Kong said China considers consultation and dialogue the best way to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and maintain common security.

The spokesman said participants at the recent six-party talks in Beijing reached consensus that no one should take any action that might escalate current tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

"We understand the related country's concern over the proliferation of weapons of mass destructive but we hope it can take a prudent attitude," Kong said.

Turning to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Kong said China attaches much importance to the treaty because it has great significance on the prevention of nuclear proliferation and the promotion of disarmament.

The Chinese government has signed the treaty and submitted it to the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, for ratification.

According to the spokesman, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) highly values a great deal of work China had done for the Beijing six-party talks.

Kong said that holding the six-party talks was the DPRK's idea and it believed there were positive results from the talks and hopes to peacefully solve related issues by dialogue.

Kong said the talks show the relevant sides have differences, some of which are very serious, as well as consensus.

But because of the talks, the goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula has been set and the dialogue process to peacefully resolve the issue has been started, said Kong.

He said China hopes and believes that as long as the process can be continued, the related parties, especially the DPRK and the United States, will understand each other better, reduce mistrust and gain more consensus.

Kong said during the talks the DPRK has made it clear that to have nuclear weapons is not its goal, but rather its goal is to realize a nuclear-free peninsula. China supports its position and believes that its security concerns should be resolved properly.

To guarantee a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and maintain the peace and stability of the peninsula conforms to the interests of all sides, said the spokesman.

In another development, Kong said China welcomes the new Iraqi government and hopes it restore normal order to Iraq.

Kong said China hopes the new government will promote the process of allowing the Iraqi people to exert their sovereignty.

He said China's goal in the Iraq issue is to resume normal order in that country and enable the Iraqi people to exercise sovereignty, and China hopes that in this process Iraq's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity should be safeguarded.

The United Nations is preparing to discuss a new proposal on the reconstruction of Iraq and that China has taken part in this work, he said, adding that the role of the United Nations should be strengthened.

On Monday, the Iraqi Governing Council named a 25-member cabinet, the first following the overthrowal of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on April 9.

Turning to the Middle East situation, the spokesman said China hopes Palestine and Israel will cooperate with the international community, take practical steps and resume the right track of peacefully resolving the issue.

Kong said that all relevant parties in the international community are working toward realizing a peaceful Middle East and have made some progress previously.

But the present situation in the region as a whole can be called "sailing against the current", and China is very concerned about the escalation of violent activities there, the spokesman said.

In response to a question on the spread of AIDS in some areas in central China's Henan Province, Kong said the central government has demanded the local administration make thorough rectification of blood collection stations.

"The fast spread of HIV/AIDS in some areas of Henan in previous years has been contained but the result is serious,'' Kong said.

The central government had allocated special funding every year to Henan to treat local patients and taken every possible measure to prevent the disease from further spread, according to the spokesman.

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