Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan told a regular press
conference yesterday that China is supportive of a proposal
developed by Russia to help manage the Iran nuclear issue.
He said China holds that a proposal raised by Russia is "a good
start to trying to break the current stalemate" and worth serious
discussion among the concerned parties.
Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power plant and
has proposed that uranium enrichment -- the most sensitive part of
the nuclear fuel cycle -- be carried out under a joint venture on
Russian soil.
China has not received any formal invitation from the Iranian
side to participate in the uranium enrichment activities in Russia,
Kong added.
Kong added that China hopes that all parties concerned take
concrete actions to ease the current tense situation.
The key thing is to break the deadlock in negotiations over
Iranian nuclear issue, which requires concerted efforts of all
relevant parties, Kong said.
China would like to see that all parties concerned exercise
great restraint, be patient and step up diplomatic efforts so as to
create favorable conditions for the resumption of the talks before
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convenes a meeting in
February to discuss Iran's nuclear issue, Kong added.
Kong highlighted that China opposes using sanctions or
threatening to use sanctions to resolve similar issues.
China put forward that the legal rights to peacefully use
nuclear energy of all signatory countries to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation Nuclear Weapons should be respected, and
countries should correspondingly also strictly abide by the rules
and discharge their obligations.
On Thursday, State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan and Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing met with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani,
who arrived in Beijing for a one-day visit on Thursday morning from
Moscow.
Turning to China-Africa relations, Kong said China will
strengthen cooperation with African nations in politics, economy
and trade, education and international affairs.
In the political field, Kong said, China will enhance bilateral
high-level visits as well as people-to-people exchanges at all
levels.
As for economic and trade cooperation, Kong said, China will
further diversify the forms and deepen the substance in its
cooperation with African countries.
"We also have great prospects in educational cooperation. Many
African students have studied or are studying in China," Kong
noted.
"China will continue to step up coordination and cooperation in
international affairs with African countries so as to safeguard the
rights and interests of developing countries," he added.
The third ministerial-level conference under the China-Africa
Cooperation Forum is to be held in Beijing this autumn.
According to Kong, China would like to hold a summit of heads of
state during the Forum.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2006)