On the afternoon of September 25, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference and answered questions on China-Japan relations, China-Russia relations, the situation in Myanmar, the Six-party Talks, the issue of climate change and etc.

Jiang Yu: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have no announcements to make. The floor is open now.

Q: The monks in Myanmar have launched an anti-government demonstration recently. It's reported that the demonstration will end peacefully due to the pressure from China. Please confirm. On Mr. Cui Tiankai's assuming the post of Chinese ambassador to Japan. Has the Chinese Government officially announced his assignment?

A: China has all along been an advocate of non-interference in domestic affairs of other countries. As a neighbor of Myanmar, China hopes to see stability and economic development there. We hope and believe that the government and people of Myanmar will properly handle the current issue.

On your second question, we will release relevant information in due course.

Q: Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, new president of the Liberal Democratic Party will become the new Prime Minister of Japan. He says that Asia will take an important part in his foreign policy and he values Japan's relations with China. Besides he will visit the Yasukuni Shrine after taking office. Mr. Abe was scheduled to visit China in automn. But since he has already resigned, is China going to invite Mr. Fukuda instead?

A: We extend our congratulations to Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, who is going to become Japan's new Prime Minister.

The Chinese Government will as always stick to the policy of promoting friendship with Japan. We are ready to make joint efforts with the Japanese Government to press ahead with the strategic relations of mutual benefit between our two countries on the basis of three important political documents, so that China-Japan relations can continue developing along a healthy and stable track.

Leaders of the two countries have reached an important consensus to maintain the momentum of exchanging high-level visits. China is ready to work with Japan to earnestly implement the consensus.

Q: The Australian Foreign Minister Donald called on China to assert pressure on the Myanmar military government and persuade it to negotiate with various parties to dissolve the crisis. He said that China was capable to do so. He didn't expect China to do so publicly, but China can make use of private occasions. Has China prodded Myanmar in this regard? How do you respond to Mr. Donald's remarks?

A: I have already made clear the position of the Chinese Government just now. To maintain social stability of Myanmar is not only in the interest of itself, but also in the common interest of the international community.

Q: September 29 marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations. Are there any high-level delegations from Japan to visit China then?

A: On the commemorative activities of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-Japan Friendship Association will host large-scale receptions. Chinese embassy in Japan and Japanese embassy in China will hold receptions, too. In the meantime, both countries have set this year as "China-Japan Sports and Culture Year", and will hold "Japan Folk Culture Festival", "Ten Thousand Chinese Tourists to Visit Japan" and "Twenty Thousand Japanese Tourists to Visit China" as well as other activities in the later half of this year. We believe that these activities will promote the friendly exchanges between our two countries, increase mutual understanding and friendly affections between our two countries, and play an active role in promoting our relations along a healthy and stable path.

On the recent visit by some friendly groups and large business delegations from Japan to China, we will release relevant information.

Q: How does China view the reaction of the Myanmar Authorities to the demonstration? If the UN Security Council considers adopting a new resolution to urge Myanmar to resume democracy, will China veto it as China did in January?

A: We hope and believe the Myanmar government and people will properly handle the current issue.

The second question you raised is hypothetical.

Q: Kim Kye Gwan, head of the DPRK delegation of the Six-Party Talks, has arrived in Beijing. Will he meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei? How about China's heavy oil assistance to the DPRK?

A: All the delegations to participate in the second phase of the 6th round of the Six-Party Talks will be arriving in Beijing. Mr. Kim Kye Gwan is already in town. But I have no information you want at this point.

As to China's heavy oil assistance to the DPRK, it's still under active implementation now.

Q: The Chinese Foreign Minister has canceled the breakfast meeting with his German counterpart during the UN General Assembly. China has also canceled the judicial consultation between the governments of China and Germany. Does it have anything to do with Germany Chancellor Merkel's meeting with Dalai Lama?

A: It is a gross interference in China's internal affairs that Chancellor Merkel turned a blind eye to China's repeated solemn representation, met with Dalai Lama, a political exile who has been long engaged in activities aiming to split China and undermine China's national unity. It severely hurts the feeling of the Chinese people and undermines the Sino-Germany relations. China expresses strong dissatisfaction to that. We request that Germany take into consideration the general interest of Sino-Germany bilateral relations and the fundamental interest of the people of the two countries and adopt effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of its wrong practice so as to free Sino-Germany relations from further unnecessary damage.

As for the two foreign ministers' meeting in New York, to my knowledge, they will meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will reiterate the solemn position of China on the issue of Dalai.

Q: How does China evaluate former Prime Minister of Japan Abe's foreign policy towards China during his tenure?

A: We applaud the positive and constructive efforts of Prime Minister Abe during his tenure to improve and promote Sino-Japanese relations. We are willing to make joint efforts with Japan to promote the bilateral strategic and reciprocal relations so as to press ahead with the development of China-Japan relationship along the healthy and steady track.

Q: Yesterday President Putin appointed the new government. Do you think it will have an impact on the Sino-Russian relations?

A: We have taken note of Russia's new cabinet appointed by President Putin. In recent years, China-Russia strategic and cooperative partnership has progressed healthily and steadily, reaching an unprecedented high level. We are ready to join hands with Russia's new government to implement the consensus reached by leaders of our two countries, further improve China-Russia strategic and cooperative partnership, enhance the mutual-benefit cooperation in various fields, and make unremitting efforts to promote the friendship of the two peoples for generations.

Q: US President Bush will hold an international meeting on climate change in Washington this Thursday. Who will attend the meeting on the Chinese part? My second question is, President Bush plans to raise a new proposal on emission reduction beyond the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. What's China's position on this?

A: We have received the US invitation for the meeting of the world's major economies on climate change and energy security. Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Hu Jintao's special envoy and Deputy-Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, will head a delegation to attend the meeting. We wish the meeting a success, and hope it can deepen the technical cooperation among the major economies in addressing climate change and press ahead with the development of the international negotiation along the track of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has just attended and addressed the UN high-level meeting on climate change. He expounded comprehensively on the policy and position of the Chinese Government. We hope the international community can continue to adopt the UNFCCC as the basic framework for future cooperation in addressing the climate change. We also welcome the pragmatic cooperation of other initiatives and mechanisms, which serve as useful supplements to the UNFCCC. We think that any initiative and meeting should share the goal of pushing forward the cooperation and activities under the framework of the UNFCCC. China will preform its international duties and obligations in accordance with the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and make greater efforts and contribution to the international cooperation in addressing the climate change.

Q: The second phase of the sixth round of the Six-party Talks is to be held. What's the expectation of China as the chair for the Talks?

A: This phase of the Talks will include meetings of heads of the delegations and plenary sessions for all members. The parties concerned will make in-depth exchange of views on how to work for the next stage on bilateral and multilateral occasions. We hope all the parties will continue to demonstrate a positive attitude so as to meet halfway and endeavor to gain progress out of the Talks.

If there are no more questions, thank you for attendance. See you next time!