| Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao's Regular Press Conference on February 14, 2008 |
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On the afternoon of February 14, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao held a regular press conference and answered questions on the Beijing Olympic Games, Darfur, Myanmar, the dumplings incident happened in Japan, and etc. Liu Jianchao: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I believe that you have enjoyed a pleasant Spring Festival. I am happy to meet you again here after the holiday. I would like to begin with one announcement. Mr. Gambari, Special Adviser for the UN Secretary-General on the Myanmar issue will visit China from February 18 to 19. During his stay in Beijing, he will exchange views with China on the current situation in Myanmar and the mediation efforts of the Secretary-General. Now the floor is open. Q: Not long ago, Russia and China jointly submitted the draft treaty on the prevention of arms race in outer space. The US voiced opposition to it. Do you have any comment? A: On February 12, gans will not help resolve the humanitarian issue in Darfur. It is imperative to promote the peace process and alleviate the humanitarian crisis there by constructive and substantial actions. That is exactly what China is doing now! I hope relevant people can view China's position and constructive role on the Darfur issue from an objective and just perspective, and do something real for the people there. Q: Not long ago, the US alleged that they had arrested four Chinese spies. Do you have any response? What is China's position on the espionage issue? A: We have taken note of the report. The so-called accusation against China on the issue of espionage is utterly groundless and out of ulterior motives. We urge the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and put end to the groundless accusations and do more to contribute to mutual trust and friendship between our two peoples. Q: I think the dumpling issue has affected Japan-China economic relations and the Japanese people's opinions about the safety of Chinese food. How do you evaluate the impact of this incident? A: I would like to make the following comments. Firstly, the Chinese Government has adopted a highly responsible attitude and started investigation immediately on the day being informed of the incident. We have not only carried out our own investigation, but also cooperated with the Japanese side. The responsible attitude of the Chinese Government and the relevant enterprises should be understood by the Japanese government and consumers. Secondly, from the initial findings of the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the incident is not a systematic issue of food safety, but an individual case. We hope the quality supervision and public security authorities of our two countries will form a joint team for further investigation. This is a serious issue. It is essential to sort things out in order to rebuild the confidence of Japanese consumers in Chinese food and develop normal economic cooperation between the two countries. As I have mentioned at the previous press conference, we will go down to the earth with the investigation and hope the Japanese will cooperate with us actively. Q: Several days ago, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited "Arunachal Pradesh". Has the Chinese Government made representation with India on that? A: We are concerned about Indian leader's visit to the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh". Our position on the boundary dispute is well known to relevant parties. We believe it is mutual beneficial for the two countries to press ahead with negotiations in accordance with the existing political principles. The Indian Government is well aware of our position. Q: Is the Chinese Government worried that Spielberg's very public disassociation from the Beijing Olympic Games will encourage other leading lights in the entertainment and business world to also join him in boycotting the Olympics? A: Mr. Spielberg once contacted the Beijing Olympic Organization Committee (BOCOG), saying that he would like to contribute to the Beijing Olympics. We understand his will and sent him the letter to employ his as the artistic adviser to the game. Mr. Spielberg accepted the letter. But as far as I know, he has never signed any contract with BOCOG. We regret over his recent statement and his explanations for the decision. The preparation for the Beijing Olympic Game, including the opening ceremony is now proceeding smoothly. I believe that people in China and the rest of the world have sufficient wisdom to hold a successful Olympic Game. China will work together with all the talented and intelligent artists and scientists to display a wonderful Olympic Game opening ceremony to the world. Beijing Olympic Game will be a success. Q: I would like to go back to the spy case. You say that the allegation is groundless, but in recent years, dozens of Chinese nationals or American born Chinese have been arrested in the United Sates, accused as spy, and some of them have been convicted. So how do you respond to that? And also to allegation from FBI, China are sending an amount of agents hidden among hundreds of thousands of Chinese students and businessmen who visit the U.S. every year, to steal industrial and military intelligence and taking this up to what the FBI call "a cold war level" of espionage. How do you comment on this? A: We have already dismissed this kind of allegation on various occasions. The allegation against China from the U.S. again this time is groundless and out of ulterior motive. It is a reflection of the cold war mentality the U.S. continues to cling to. The groundless allegations are not helpful for the mutual trust, bilateral relations nor friendship. So we hope and urge the U.S. to abandon the erroneous practice immediately and do more things beneficial for mutual trust and friendship of the two countries. Such farce has been repeatedly staged for a period of time. People are getting tired of it. It is time to put an end to it. Q: Olympic committees of some countries and some athletes have expressed worries over the pollution in Beijing. Some committees have decided to have their athletes trained in neighboring countries instead of in Beijing before the Olympics. Do you have any comment? On the other hand, some athletes comment on China's human rights situation publicly. Will they face some restrictions when they enter China or during their stay in China? A: On your first question, China attaches great importance to Beijing's environment, air quality and traffic issues during the Olympics, and makes unremitting efforts to resolve these problems. As we can see from the recent situation in Beijing, environment and traffic have been effectively improved. We will continue to intensify our efforts to provide a sound and comfortable environment to coaches, athletes and audience who are to participate or watch the Olympics during their stay in Beijing. China will fulfill its commitment to a wonderful, green and high-tech Olympics. On your second question, the Chinese people and Beijing citizens will warmly welcome coaches, athletes and visitors from all countries with open arms and friendly service. The Olympics is a very good platform and opportunity for the Chinese people and people all around the world to strengthen communication and develop friendship. I hope and believe that athletes and visitors from the world will take this opportunity to build mutual understanding and friendship, and participate in the Olympics in a friendly, active and fair attitude. Q: On the Olympics. It's reported that Mr. Rogge, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee may have signed with some Noble Laureates and athletes in the letter to China's leader on the issue of Darfur. What's China's position? The second question, has China got a clear position on Kosovo's independence? A: On the first question, I do not comment on the unconfirmed news. I want to emphasis that the cooperation between the Beijing Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee in the preparation for the Beijing Olympic Game has been fruitful. I believe their cooperation will continue. On the second question, we |