APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members share the common goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

 

China has always maintained that the Korean nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue and consultation in order to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing.

 

She said that China wanted to work with other relevant parties to ease current tensions and allow the early resumption of the six-party talks.

 

The last round of talks, involving China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea, ended with a Chairman's Statement last November, in which the parties agreed to resume negotiations as soon as possible.

 

China will submit a report to the UN Security Council in the coming days on the implementation of Resolution 1718, concerning the imposing of comprehensive sanctions on Pyongyang, Jiang added.

 

In response to potential formal multilateral talks on the sidelines of the 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting slated from November 17 to 19 in Hanoi, Vietnam, Jiang said she was not aware of such arrangements.

 

Reports said that the US and Japan had sought to hold talks in Hanoi among all participating states of the six-party talks except North Korea.

 

According to the spokeswoman, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, Russia, South Korea and Peru on the sidelines of the meeting.

 

Jiang also reiterated China's stance of solving the Iran nuclear issue through political and diplomatic efforts rather than resort to UN sanctions, urging the continuation of dialogue.

 

She made the remarks after French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin reportedly called for the earliest adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution envisaging sanctions against Iran.

 

"Any actions taken by the Security Council should be conducive to reaching the goal of a peaceful solution and make room for further diplomatic efforts," Jiang said.

 

She said UN action should help avert the escalation of conflicts, and called on the international community to remain committed to diplomacy.

 

Britain, France, Germany (the EU-3), China, Russia and the US held another informal meeting on Monday in New York over possible UN sanctions on Iran for its ongoing refusal to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities.

 

Jiang said China appreciated and supported the EU-3's diplomacy and their efforts to maintain contact and talks with Iran.

 

In another development, Jiang said that China attached great importance to fighting against climate change and had implemented a series of measures and policies to deal with the issue.

 

She said China has joined the UN framework on climate change and signed over 50 international agreements on environmental protection.

 

She called on developed countries that have not yet ratified the Kyoto Protocol to keep their promises to protect the environment.

 

China has made important contributions to reaching the agreement's goals related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, Jiang said, noting that China aims to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent for each unit of GDP and major pollutants emission by 10 percent, both by the end of 2010.

 

Jiang also rejected Japan's concern over Chinese gas activities in the East China Sea, saying it was unnecessary as they fall within Chinese territory rather than the disputed area.

 

On state visits, she announced that Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev will visit China from November 19 to 23, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Galderon from November 19 to 26, and Mongolian Prime Minister Miegombyn Enkhbold from November 22 to 27.

 

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2006)