On July 1, 2008, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao held a regular press conference and answered questions on President Hu Jintao's attendance at the G8 Summit, the Six-Party Talks, the situation in Zimbabwe, the contact between China's Central Government and Dalai's private representatives and etc.

Liu Jianchao: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to begin with two announcements.

At the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend the Outreach Session of the G8 Summit in Japan from July 7 to 9.

To help you better understand the background and relevant topics of the meeting as well as China's position, Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi is invited to hold a press briefing on President Hu Jintao's attendance at the outreach session of the G8 Summit in the Press Hall of the Foreign Ministry at 11:15 a.m. this Thursday, July 3. Your presence will be welcome.

The ASEM 7 Summit will be held in Beijing in October, 2008. The official website of ASEM 7, www.asem7.cn, was launched on June 30. The program of the summit, important speeches and documents will be released on the website, and information and media service will also be provided. Journalists are welcome to cover this meeting. The registration will open from 10 July to 20 September. As for the accreditation and other issues, please log on the official website of ASEM 7 and the websites of the Foreign Ministry and IPC.

Now, the floor is open.

Q: It is reported that the meeting of the heads of the delegation to the Six-Party Talks will be held next week, please confirm. Dalai's two private representatives are meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing today. Could brief us on the specifics of the meeting including agenda, progress and etc?

A: As for the Six-Party Talks, I have something more to add. Important and positive progress has been made recently in the Six-Party Talks and the process of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsular. The DPRK has formally submitted its nuclear declaration and demolished the cooling tower at Yongbyon, and the US has fulfilled its commitment of removing the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism and terminating application of the Trading with the Enemy Act. The negotiation between Japan and the DPRK has also made some positive progress. China appreciates the constructive efforts made by relevant parties and believes such progress will be conducive to pressing ahead with the Talks.

The Six-Party Talks now face new opportunities. China is making active coordination with other parties on the meeting of heads of delegation. We hope all parties concerned take the opportunity of this meeting to hold in-depth discussions on the issues of common concern and implement the remaining work of the second phase in a comprehensive and balanced manner at an early date, so as to push the Six-Party Talks into a new stage. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

As for the second question, as far as we know, officials of the Central Government will have contact with Dalai's private representatives Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen in recent days. I don't have any more details yet.

Q: It is reported that some Japanese Diet members inspected the Diaoyu Island from air by the Coastal Guard plane. How do you respond to that?

A: I believe you have already read China's response yesterday. A senior official from the Asian Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry made representation to the officials from the Japanese Embassy, protesting that the Japanese side allowed Diet members to make the so-called inspection from air over the Diaoyu Island regardless of the solemn representation and opposition of China. We stressed that the Diaoyu Island has been Chinese territory since ancient times and China has indisputable sovereignty over it. We urge Japan to stop the actions infringing upon China's sovereignty and refrain from recurrence of similar incidents.

Q: The US is circulating a draft resolution on sanctions against Zimbabwe in the UN Security Council, which includes arms embargo and property freezing against some individuals and companies. Will China consider any sanctions against Zimbabwe?

A: I shall stress that China is closely following the current situation in Zimbabwe. We hope relevant parties of Zimbabwe could put the national and people's interests first, keep calm and restraint so as to resolve their disputes peacefully through dialogue and negotiation.

We believe that, ultimately, the issue of Zimbabwe should be resolved by the people of Zimbabwe themselves and the international community can play a constructive role by encouraging dialogue and promoting reconciliation.

China supports the positive mediation by AU and SADC. The Security Council should heed the opinions of AU and SADC and support their mediation efforts.

Q: On Sunday, some Chinese rights lawyers were blocked from meeting two US congressmen by Chinese public security authorities. Could you tell us why?

A: According to my knowledge, the two congressmen came here as the guests of the US embassy in China for internal consultation. We believe that they should not engage in activities inconsistent with their purposes and capacities for being here. We also request them to refrain from doing things that may interfere in China's international affairs and undermine China-US relations.

Q: Will President Hu Jintao visit the ROK?

A: China attaches importance to the high-level exchanges between China and the ROK. During President Lee Myung Bak's visit to China, he invited President Hu to visit the ROK at his convenience. China expresses its gratitude to that. Now the Foreign Ministries of the two countries are having consultations on that.

Q: Could you please brief us on President Hu's visit to Japan? Will he meet with Japanese Prime Minister?

A: On the sidelines of President Hu's attendance at the outreach session of G8 Summit, he will meet with some foreign leaders. I think he will meet with Prime Minister Fukuda. We are having contact with Japan on the specifics.

Q: Do you believe that it is not the time to adopt a resolution for sanctions against Zimbabwe?

A: We think the pressing task is to encourage different parties of Zimbabwe to resolve their differences through dialogue and negotiation, which serves the fundamental interests of the nation and its people.

Q: French President Sarkozy said that he would attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games only if he saw progress in the forthcoming talks between the Chinese Central Government and the Dalai side. Do you have any comment? Another question, what positions will President Hu Jintao expound on issues including the RMB appreciation, climate change and Tibet during his attendance at the outreach session of G8 Summit?

A: The Beijing Olympic Games is a celebration not only for the 1.3 billion Chinese people, but also for the world people at large. Hence a successful Beijing Olympics is the shared aspiration of the Chinese people and peoples from other parts of the world.

The Tibet issue falls into China's internal affairs. The contact between the Central Government and the private representatives of Dalai Lama is also an internal affair of China. We oppose relevant foreign leader's meeting with Dalai in any forms, linking Tibet-related issues with the Beijing Olympics and politicizing the Olympics.

As for your second question, during his attendance at the outreach session of G8 Summit, President Hu Jintao will discuss a series of issues with other leaders, including climate change, food, energy, economy, development and etc. As for the Tibet issue, as an internal affair of China, we oppose discussion over this issue in any forms at such an international meeting.

As time is limited for me to elaborate on China's positions on specific issues, I hope you can attend the briefing Thursday morning where you can refer your question to Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi and officials from the NDRC and Ministry of Commerce.

Q: Could you brief us on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's visit to China?

A: Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives in Beijing this afternoon. He will give a speech at China Foreign Affairs University and meet with Chinese leaders. We attach importance to his visit and to China's cooperation with the UN on major international and regional issues as well as issues bearing on peace and development. We find our cooperation with the UN satisfactory, and expect a closer cooperation between the two sides so as to make joint contribution in building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

If there are no further questions, thank you for coming!