China hopes the new US Congress will play a constructive role in strengthening Sino-US relations, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks at a regular press conference after Democrats captured both chambers of the US Congress in Tuesday's mid-term elections.

 

Nancy Pelosi, 66, became speaker-elect of the House of Representatives. In the past, she has criticized China's human rights record, opposed normal trading relations with China in the 1990s and was against Beijing being awarded the 2008 Olympics.

 

Developing healthy and stable Sino-US ties is the consensus reached by both Republicans and Democrats, said Jiang, adding that "we believe that all people of insight in the US, including Republicans and Democrats, hold similar views (that good bilateral ties serve the interests of the two countries)."

 

Moving to the resignation of US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Jiang said China will continue to work with the US to strengthen military exchanges, increase mutual understanding and trust, and sensitively handle each other's concerns.

 

After years of defending his beleaguered secretary of defense, US President George W. Bush announced Rumsfeld's resignation within hours of the Democrats' triumph in congressional elections.

 

The Iraq War was the central issue of Rumsfeld's tenure, and unhappiness with the war seemed to have been a major element of voter dissatisfaction on Tuesday.

 

Bush appointed former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Robert Gates as the new defense secretary.

 

East China Sea

 

Jiang said that Japan's concern over China's exploration of a gas field in the East China Sea was "unnecessary."

 

"The Chinese oil and gas exploitation are legitimate activities in China's near sea and on its continental shelf," said Jiang.

 

These comments followed Japanese officials expressing concern on Wednesday about the operation of the Bajiaoting platform in the Pinghu oil and gas field in the East China Sea.

 

New WHO chief

 

Jiang said the Chinese government congratulates Margaret Chan, confirmed as new chief of the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

The Chinese government fully supports Margaret Chan as the director-general of the WHO, Jiang said, noting that governments of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions also actively supported.

 

The WHO on Thursday formally approved China's Dr. Margaret Chan as its new chief, to succeed Dr. Lee Jong-wook of South Korea who died suddenly in May.

 

Chan, born in Hong Kong, is capable and experienced, which left the members of the WHO Executive Board deep impression and won her wide support from WHO member countries, Jiang said.

 

It is believed that Chan will fully implement her promises and work together with all the members for people's health, she said.

 

Chan, 59, is expected to take office in January for a five-year term. The UN agency has been led by Acting Director-General Dr. Anders Nordstrom of Sweden since May.

 

Six-party talks

 

Jiang said that Chinese and Russian vice foreign ministers met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss the appropriate handling of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev exchanged views on the North Korean nuclear issue, said Jiang.

 

Alexeyev also met US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns yesterday in Beijing to discuss how to restart disarmament talks with North Korea.

 

In other developments, Jiang said China congratulates Panama on being elected to the UN Security Council and expects further cooperation with Panama on security issues. China would like to further enhance cooperation with Panama on international and regional issues to promote China-Panama relations, Jiang said.

 

Panama received the approval on Tuesday of the 192-member UN General Assembly to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council, following a deadlock between Guatemala and Venezuela.

 

Responding to a question on the presidential election of Nicaragua, Jiang said China had noticed the presidential running in Nicaragua and China respected the choice from Nicaraguan people.

 

China is willing to establish and develop normal relations with certain countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful coexistence, the UN Charter as well as relevant UN resolutions, Jiang said.

 

Daniel Ortega has won Nicaragua's presidential election with about 38 percent of the votes, according to the country's top electoral official.

 

When asked to comment on the Kyrgyz parliament's approval of a new constitution, Jiang said China is glad to see Kyrgyzstan solving its existent problems within legal framework.

 

She said achieving stability in Kyrgyzstan will facilitate the country's development.

 

China will further strengthen bilateral relations and seek closer coordination with Kyrgyzstan within the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Jiang said.

 

The Kyrgyz government and opposition hammered out an agreement on a new Kyrgyz Constitution on Wednesday, and it was later approved by the Parliament, paving the way for an end to the country's ongoing political crisis.

 

Kyrgyzstan is one of the members of the SCO, a regional organization founded in 2001, which also includes China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

 

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2006)