Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular news briefing Tuesday that US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit China in April at the invitation of Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong.  

Cheney's agenda and schedule were still under negotiation by the two sides, and Kong promised to brief the media when they are fixed this week or early next week.

Kong expressed his hope that Cheney's visit will further enhance understanding, expand common consensus, narrow differences and promote cooperation between China and the United States.

Also at yesterday's briefing, the spokesman reiterated China will fight to the finish as the United States insists on seeking a United Nations resolution criticizing China's human rights record at the ongoing session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

"China does not fear such a resolution," Kong said, adding that China published Tuesday a white paper titled Progress in China's Human Rights Cause in 2003 to give a full picture of the progress the nation has made towards improving its human rights conditions.

Kong said the white paper points out achievements as well as shortcomings in China's human rights fields, noting that China will continue to try to help its citizens enjoy better human rights.

Kong said all countries should calmly exchange different opinions on the basis of equality, so as to promote the development of the international human rights cause.

Kong said China has entered more than 20 international conventions on human rights, including two major conventions, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

On June 27, 2003, the Chinese government submitted to the UN its first periodic report on the implementation of the ICESCR, said Kong, adding that China's State Council has established a working group to speed up ratifying the ICCPR.

China will hold a new round of human rights talks with Britain, Germany and Australia, the spokesman said.

Kong said the Chinese government always maintained that human rights dialogues should be based on equality and mutual respect, so that different countries can narrow their differences, enlarge consensus, learn from each other and achieve progress. In recent years, he added, China has carried out wide-ranging dialogues and communication on human rights, which gained fruitful results.

China, after consultations with other parties, will hold the 11th human rights dialogues with Britain in London on May 13-14, and the fourth dialogues with Germany in Berlin from 24 to 28 the same month. China will also hold the eighth dialogues on human rights with Australia in July, noted Kong.

Also, at the invitation of Chinese side, the Evaluation Mission of the UN High Commissioner's Office on Human Rights will visit China on May 17-25, he said.

"We would like to make common efforts and push forward human rights dialogues and exchanges with all sides," Kong stressed.

In another development, the spokesman said that China strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and blasts in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Sunday and Monday.

He said combating terrorism is the common consensus of the international community.

China firmly supports the fight against terrorism in Uzbekistan and other countries, he said, stressing China is willing to strengthen international cooperation in this respect and to meet challenge of terrorism.

At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in a series of terrorist blasts in Uzbekistan on Sunday and Monday.

Answering an inquiry on Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan's tour to India, Kong said the visit will further promote Sino-Indian military cooperation and bilateral ties.

Kong said that Sino-Indian exchanges and cooperation in military and national defense fields had strengthened and expanded constantly, and the bilateral relationship also witnessed comprehensive development.

Kong said the sound development of the bilateral ties is in accordance with the principles of the Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation Between China and India signed last year.

Kong said Cao paid an important visit to three Asian countries, namely Pakistan, India and Thailand, and during his visit, Cao will meet governmental and military leaders of the three countries, and exchange views on issues of common concern.

Cao, also vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, left Beijing on March 22 for an official goodwill visit to Pakistan, India and Thailand, at the invitation of the three countries' defense ministers.

The spokesman also said Ban Ki-moon, minister of foreign affairs and trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK), made a short but fruitful visit to China.

Kong said that during Ban Ki-moon's visit, China and the ROK exchanged in-depth views on bilateral ties, and reached consensus on further promoting cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Kong said the two sides also reached important consensus on starting the working group as soon as possible to make preparation for the third round of the six-party talks.

The second round six-party talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula were held in Beijing in February, with presence of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan.

Ban Ki-moon left Beijing Tuesday to conclude his three-day visit to China.

Turning to the relations between China and the Commonwealth of Dominica, Kong said bilateral cooperation is mutually beneficial.

The cooperative relationship between the two sides is a relationship between developing countries to meet the challenges of globalization.

In the economic field, China will provide assistance to the Commonwealth of Dominica and the two sides have wide prospects for future cooperation in the political, economic, scientific and educational fields.

The joint communique between the People's Republic of China and the Commonwealth of Dominica signed in Beijing on March 23 on the establishment of diplomatic ties was published in Beijing Tuesday.

The spokesman also reiterated China's stance on Diaoyu Islands.

He said that Diaoyu Island and the attached islets have been a part of the Chinese territory since ancient times and China has indisputable sovereignty over these islands according to history and law.

On disputes between China and Japan on Diaoyu Islands, he said China hopes that differences should be narrowed through negotiation.

Moving on to NATO's enlargement, Kong said China hopes that NATO can take into consideration the development of Europe's security situation and interests during enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

China has expressed its hopes several times that a new concept of security which relies on mutual trust, benefit and fair negotiation can be built up in the world, Kong said.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia officially became NATO members after their leaders deposited "instruments of accession" to the founding treaty at a ceremony held at the US Treasury earlier Monday.

With the addition of the seven East European countries, the number of NATO members has increased from 19 to 26.

(Sources including Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, March 31, 2004)