HAMBURG, Germany -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Monday met with
his European and Asian counterparts on the sidelines of a two-day Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASAM) in Hamburg.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrives for the European
Union Troika-China meeting ahead of the 8th ASEM Foreign Ministers meeting
in Hamburg May 28, 2007. [Reuters]
|
While meeting French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner, Yang said China is ready to work with France to
further develop the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership as agreed
in a recent phone call by Chinese President Hu Jintao and the new French
President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Kouchner, on his part, said France hopes the two sides could maintain an
exchange of visits by senior officials and the two sides should expand
cooperation in trade and technology.
France would like to hold more talks with China over key international and
regional issues, he said.
France will always stick to the one-China policy, said the minister.
In his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Yang said sustaining
the healthy and stable development of Sino-Japanese relations is in the
fundamental interests of both countries. However, an appropriate solution to the
issues concerning history and Taiwan is the basis of the bilateral ties, he
said.
China would like to strengthen bilateral ties with Japan by expanding
cooperation and enhancing political trust as agreed by Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during Wen's visit to Japan in
April, the Chinese foreign minister said.
Aso said Japan will continue to abide by the principles of the Japan-China
Joint Statement, the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the
Japan-China Joint Declaration.
Japan will seek to find proper solutions to the issues of concerns, Aso said
Yang and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri hailed the traditional
friendship between the two countries, vowing to expand cooperation in more
fields.
When meeting Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, Yang said developing
a stable, good-neighbourly relations with India is the established policy of
China.
China is willing to hold more talks with India over important issues to
enrich the China-India strategic cooperative partnership, Yang said.
Menon said India is ready to work with China to further expand trade
cooperation and to have dialogue with China over international issues.
Yang met with Thailand Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram, saying the two
sides should take the chance of the current visit by Thai Prime Minister Surayud
Chulanon to Beijing to further strengthen the bilatereal ties.
Yang agreed with South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon to cooperate
even more closely to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsular through
the six-party talks.
Yang also met with Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks and British
Minister of State Ian Mccartney.