Q: The US Assistant Secretary of State Bohlen came to China yesterday and held consultation with the Chinese side on the question of the ABM Treaty. How does the Chinese side view the explanation of the US side?

A: On December 17, the US Assistant Secretary of State Bohlen came to Beijing to brief the Chinese side on the US decision to withdraw from the ABM Treaty. During her stay in Beijing, Vice Foreign Minister Qiao Zonghuai met with Bohlen and her entourage. In addition, officials of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament of Foreign Ministry exchanged views with her on ABM issues. During the meetings and consultations, the Chinese side reiterated its principled position on the ABM issues and emphasized the significance of maintaining the international arms control and disarmament system and the global strategic stability under the current situation. The Chinese side hopes that the US side would take opinions of a majority of countries in the world into serious account. Both sides agreed to continue their dialogue on strategic stability.

   
Q: India accused the Pakistani side of being involved with the Indian Parliamentary House explosion and tension between India and  Pakistan thus escalated. What's China's comments on this?  Will the incident affect President Musarraf's visit to China?
   
A: The Chinese side was shocked at the gunshot incident taking place around the Indian Parliamentary House on December 13 and expressed its sympathy and consolations to the families of the dead and the injured. The Chinese Government is consistently opposed to and strongly condemns terrorist activities of any form and is against any violent terrorist activities adopted by any state, organization, group or individual. India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia, and we hope both India and Pakistan will set store of maintaining peace and stability in the South Asian region and continue to exercise restraint so as to avoid a new round of tension.
   
As for your second question, I have announced during the last press conference that President Musharraf of Pakistan will pay a visit to China on December 20. Both China and Pakistan are currently undertaking preparations for his important visit. We are convinced that President Musharraf's visit will yield great success and make new contributions to the full development of the Sino-Pakistani relations in the new century.

   
Q: China and Israel yesterday held talks on the compensation relating to Israel's termination of Falcon airplane sales contract to China. Could you brief us the details of the talks and the basic position of the Chinese side during the negotiations? My second question is, during Musharraf's visit to China, would the Chinese side propose any new aid program or emergency aid to Pakistan?

A: The Chinese side holds the position that any agreement or understanding reached between countries has to be observed. It's the fundamental norms to be abided by in the state-to-state relations. We hope the relevant countries will bear their responsibilities so as to finalize a solution to China's satisfaction.

As for your second question, I just mentioned that the Chinese side is busy preparing the visit to China by Pakistani President Musharraf. During his visit, both sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on all aspects of bilateral relations. At the moment, I have no information to brief you concerning whether both sides will sign any specific economic and trade agreements.

   
Q: The Israeli media reports that the Chinese side demanded the Israelis to compensate $ 1.5 to 2 billion for its termination of Falcon airplane contract. Does China propose such a large amount of money because it thinks that the US side has to pay the amount since the US pressure forced the Israelis to terminate its selling of Falcon airplanes to China? My second question is, former Israeli ambassador to China is quoted as saying that during the Camp David talks, one of the preconditions Mr. Clinton proposed to Mr. Barak was that the Israelis terminated its Falcon airplane sales to China. What is China's comment on this, given the fact that Barak terminated the airplane deal with China in order to secure the success of the Camp David talks?
   
A: I'm not in the position to confirm the specific details you just mentioned. Nevertheless, I just quite clearly expounded our position on the question that you raised. We think that the agreement or understanding reached between countries has to be observed and it's the fundamental norms in state-to-state relations. We hope the relevant countries would bear their responsibilities and table a solution to the Chinese satisfaction, so as to bring this issue to an early settlement not to affect the Sino-Israeli bilateral relations.

   
Q: The US Defense Secretary is quoted as saying that some Chinese-made ammunition and weaponry were found in the caves deserted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I just want to know how the Taliban acquired those weapons? If those weapons flew from Pakistan, will the Chinese side raise the issue with President Musharraf of Pakistan during his visit here?
   
A: I have no idea as for what is the basis for the US Defense Secretary to make such a remark. I'm not aware of the specific details with regard to your question. However, one point is quite clear, the Chinese side has  been consistently abiding by the Security Council resolutions on Afghanistan.

   
Q: Did China sell any weaponry to Afghanistan? If not, which neighboring countries did China sell weapons to?
   
A: I just said that the UN once adopted the Resolution on weapon embargo against Afghanistan, and China has acted according to the Security Council Resolutions.

   
Q: Yesterday China and Russia held diplomatic consultations in Moscow and both sides discussed strategic stability. Could you comment on the result of the consultation?
   
A: On December 17, Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya held the fourth round of regular consultation on strategic stability with Russian Vice Foreign Minister Mamedov in Moscow. Both sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the current international security situation and major issues in the field of arms control and disarmament. Both sides emphasized that it's crucial for the world peace and security in maintaining international arms control and disarmament system and the global strategic equilibrium and stability under the current situation. Both sides agreed to continue to keep close consultation and cooperation in the above-mentioned field.

   
Q: Russia now says that the deployment of NMD by the US will pose no threat to it. Have China and Russia reached consensus on the NMD issue during their consultation?
   
A: The Chinese side has been all along keeping close consultation and cooperation on the ABM issues with many countries including Russia. Both China and Russia have consensus on the issue as well as on the US development of missile defense system. We hope the US would listen to opinions of a majority of countries of the international community and act prudently in this regard.

   
Q: Could you brief us any update of the Chinese working group to Afghanistan?
   
A: The Foreign Ministry has sent out its working group to Afghanistan. The working group is now on its way to Afghanistan via Pakistan. After several days' stay in Pakistan, it's estimated that the working group will arrive in Kabul either today or tomorrow. The major mission of the working group is to inspect the Chinese embassy premises in Kabul and make preparations for the re-opening of the embassy. In addition, the group will also have contacts with the officials of the transitional government of Afghanistan.


Q: The Israeli government refused to have any contacts with Arafat. Does the Chinese side think there are any other peace negotiation partners besides Mr. Arafat? Does the Chinese side think there are any identical aspects between Israeli termination of Falcon airplane contract to China and the Israeli cancellation of agreement with the Palestinians?

A: We believe that under the current background, both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides should keep calm in handling the present serious situation and immediately bring their tit-for-tat to a halt and settle their disputes through negotiations.

President Arafat enjoys high fame and authority among the Palestinian people and also has profound influence in the international community. For many years, he has been making significant contribution to restoring the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people and pushing the development of the Middle East Peace Process. The Palestinian National Authority led by President Arafat has also repeatedly expressed its hope that the Palestinian question should be settled through peaceful negotiations. We hope that the Israelis and the Palestinians take substantive measures to settle the question through negotiations at an early date.