On September 16, 2008, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference and answered questions on Venezuelan President Chavez's visit to China, the Iranian nuclear issue and etc.
Jiang Yu: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have three announcements to make.
At the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council will attend the UN High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals. He will also be present at the general debate of the 63rd UN General Assembly.
At the invitation of President Hu Jintao, President Chavez of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will pay a state visit to China from September 23 to 25.
At the invitation of State Councilor Dai Bingguo, the Chinese special representative on the China-India boundary issue, Mr. Narayanan, the Indian special representative and National Security Adviser will be in Beijing from September 18 to 19 to attend the 12th special representatives' meeting on the China-India boundary issue.
Now the floor is open for your questions.
Q: About President Chavez's visit to China, could you brief us on his main purpose and itinerary? Also, which Chinese leaders will he meet with? And what kind of cooperation deals will be signed?
A: At the end of last year, President Chavez expressed his hope to pay another visit to China at an early date. The two countries decided on the visiting date according to the schedules of leaders of the two countries.
During his visit, President Chavez will talk with President Hu Jintao and meet with some other leaders. The two heads will exchange views on the bilateral relations and issues of common interest. Documents will be signed on the two countries' cooperation in justice, sports, quality inspection and other fields.
Q: I have two questions. Firstly, will the two countries sign any energy cooperation deals during Chavez's visit to China? Secondly, the Director General of the IAEA submitted a report on the Iranian nuclear issue on September 15. Do you have any comment? The US and the UK called for greater sanction against Iran. What is China's position?
A: Venezuela is an important country in Latin America. During the past 34 years since China and Venezuela established diplomatic ties, the bilateral relations have been developing steadily, with fruitful cooperation in a wide range of fields. Our cooperation is based on the principle of equality, mutual benefit and joint development, and is not against any third party.
About energy cooperation, Venezuela is a major oil exporter in the world, and energy cooperation is part of the two countries cooperation of mutual benefit. At present, China's oil import from Venezuela accounts only for 4% of its total oil import, hence it does not affect Venezuela's oil supply to other countries. As for whether there are any other cooperation documents to be signed, discussions are underway. As usual, friends from the press will be invited to relevant events, including signing ceremonies.
As for your second question, China has taken note of the report submitted by the Director General of the IAEA on the Iranian nuclear issue. We appreciate the effort of the Agency and the Director General, and hope Iran will keep cooperation with the IAEA for an early settlement of the pending issues.
China always believes that dialogue and negotiation is the only way to solve the Iranian nuclear issue. We hope relevant parties will step up diplomatic efforts, sustain the process of dialogue and negotiation and seek for a comprehensive, lasting and proper settlement.
Follow-up: How about China's position on sanction?
A: Sanction is not the solution. The ultimate solution of the Iranian nuclear issue will be only achieved through negotiation and dialogue. We hope all parties involved will step up diplomatic efforts and solve the issue peacefully through dialogue and negotiation.
Q: Could you comment on the recent turmoil on the US financial market? What kind of role will China play? Will you use your foreign exchange reserve or sovereign wealth fund to stabilize the international financial market?
A: This question should be referred to competent authorities. We hope the US could overcome its subprime crisis, and stabilize the exchange rate of US dollars.
Q: It's reported that the New Zealand Government has once talked to China about the problem with Sanlu milk powder. When was that? What was China's response? And what measures were taken afterwards?
A: About Sanlu milk powder incident, relevant authorities have already released a lot of information lately, and the Information Office of the State Council will hold press conference on this issue.
Having been highly responsible towards product quality and food safety, the Chinese Government takes the incident seriously. Relevant authorities have immediately taken effective measures to handle the case strictly according to law, and further improve the system of food safety and quality inspection so as to guarantee food safety. I suggest you consult competent authorities for specifics.
Q: It's reported that officials from China and the US have discussed how to deal with possible unrest in the DPRK. Please confirm and feed us with details.
A: China and the US did not have the kind of contact as you mentioned.
If there are no more questions, thanks for coming. See you next time.