SEPTEMBER 5 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: SIX-PARTY TALKS,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 018680 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM CH KN SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 5 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: SIX-PARTY TALKS, KIM JONG IL RUMORS, CANWFZ, SINO-AFRICAN RELATIONS AND THE P5+1 ¶1. Key points made at the September 5 MFA press briefing are as follows: -- China continues to support the Six-Party Talks and remains dedicated to the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. -- China believes the Six-Party Talks, not sanctions, is the most effective way to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. -- Spokesperson Qin Gang neither confirmed nor denied rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is currently in China. -- China supports a Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ). -- The 6th Forum on China-African Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held November 3-5 in Beijing. China enjoys a positive and dynamic momentum of rapidly developing cooperation with African nations. -- The China-ASEAN Commemorative Summit will take place in Nanning, Guangxi on October 30. -- MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department Director General Zhang Yan will attend the September 7 P5 1 meeting in Berlin to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue. -- Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will visit Beijing September 11-13. -- Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will visit China September 13-18. A/S Hill's Visit, the DPRK, and Six-Party Talks -------------- -- ¶2. Questioned several times at the MFA's regularly scheduled press briefing about the purpose of A/S Hill's upcoming visit and whether rumors of an impending nuclear test by the DPRK had prompted the visit, MFA Spokesman Qin Gang stated that China continues to support the Six-Party Talks and remains dedicated to the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. China hopes all parties will show flexibility and pragmatism and work toward an early resumption of talks. China has been in continual contact with all the parties, Qin stated. ¶3. China opposes sanctions, Qin answered, when asked if Beijing supports applying economic pressure to the DPRK to urge it to resume dialogue. China believes the Six-Party Talks is the most effective way to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Qin said. This process requires wisdom and patience, he added. ¶4. Qin said that A/S Hill will arrive on September 5 to discuss the Six-Party Talks as well as U.S.-China relations with VFM Wu Dawei, AFM Cui Tiankai and AFM He Yafei. ¶5. The 1961 Mutual Cooperation Treaty between China and the DPRK "plays a large role" in Sino-DPRK relations, Qin stated when asked by the VOA if China would defend the DPRK if it were attacked by a third party. China will continue to work with the DPRK to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, he said. ¶6. Qin Gang would neither confirm nor deny rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is in China, saying only that China had "no such arrangement" to directly invite Kim Jong Il to Beijing. CANWFZ -------------- ¶7. When asked China's position on the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ),Qin said that China supports the CANFWZ and enjoys good relations with all five Central Asian countries that will sign the CANWFZ treaty on September 8 in Kazakhstan. Sino-African Relations -------------- ¶8. Qin announced that the 6th Forum on China-African Cooperation (FOCAC) will take place November 3-5 in Beijing. The theme of the forum will be friendship, peace, cooperation and development. China and African leaders will meet on the sidelines of the summit to discuss continued cooperation in several areas of mutual benefit. Against a backdrop of recent high level exchanges, the upcoming forum will provide BEIJING 00018680 002 OF 002 a venue to exchange views on shared economic interests and major international issues, Qin added. The FOCAC is the most effective mechanism for bilateral dialogue, Qin said, and Beijing "strongly" supports the upcoming event. ASEAN Summit -------------- ¶9. The China-ASEAN Commemorative Summit will be held in Nanning, Guangxi on October 30, Qin announced. Premier Wen Jiabao, the representatives of 10 ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretary General will attend. At the summit, leaders will discuss development and cooperative relations, he noted. China-EU Trade Relations -------------- ¶10. Qin referred questions on WTO Chief Pascal Lamy's Beijing visit to the Ministry of Commerce, but confirmed that Minister Bo Xilai's meetings with Lamy focused on Sino-EU trade relations. Iranian Nuclear Talks -------------- ¶11. MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department Director General Zhang Yan will attend the September 7 P5 1 meeting in Berlin, Qin stated, when asked China's position on the Iranian nuclear issue. China supports resolution of the dispute through peaceful dialogue, he added. Visits -------------- ¶12. Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will visit Beijing September 11-13. ¶13. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will visit China September 13-18. RANDT