On December 16, 2008, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao held a regular press conference and answered questions on the Six-Party Talks, China-France relations, China-Indonesia relations, and etc.

Liu Jianchao: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement to start with.

At the invitation of Indonesian Vice President Kalla, Egyptian Prime Minister Nazif and Mr. Jabir, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Kuwait, Vice Premier Li Keqiang will pay official visits to Indonesia, Egypt and Kuwait from December 20 to 30.

Now the floor is open.

Q: US President George Bush's visit to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which a pair of shoes were thrown at him by an Iraqi reporter during a news conference. How do you comment? Also, many of our interviewees in Beijing said they were not surprised, that the incident happened because the US has been too aggressive. How do you feel about this?

A: People may have different opinions, but a state leader should be treated with due respect. This also reminds me of one thing, next time I should watch out for not only who are raising their hands, but also who are untieing their shoelaces. (Laughter)

Q: The Somali Government has been asking China to send naval vessels to help crack down piracy off the coast of Somalia. It's understood that Chinese Defense Ministry has said yes. Could you confirm?

A: The UN Security Council will hold a ministerial conference on Somali piracy in New York on December 16. Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei will attend the meeting as representative of Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

China supports stronger international cooperation to address the Somali piracy issue according to international laws and Security Council Resolutions. Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei will expound on China's position and proposition on the issue. China is ready to work with other parties to achieve positive results at the meeting. As for the specific convoy measures to be taken, I don't have information yet.

Q: After the heads-of-delegations meeting of the Six-Party Talks concluded in Beijing last week, the spokesperson of US State Department said that the US Government had decided to suspend energy assistance to the DPRK. Not only that, he said that all the five parties other than the DPRK agreed to suspend energy assistance to the country until agreement was reached on verification. Do you have any comment? What is your position on energy assistance to the DPRK?

A: After the heads-of-delegations meeting of the Six-Party Talks, all parties made some comments. China believes the Six-Party Talks is a process. It's an important consensus among the six parties to phase in this process. The major task at present stage is to implement the second-phase action in a comprehensive and balanced manner.

You may have noticed the Chairman's Statement of this meeting. In the Statement, all parties agreed, as described in the October 3 Second Phase Agreement, to complete in parallel the disablement of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities and the provision of economic and energy assistance equivalent to one million tons of heavy fuel oil to the DPRK by the other parties.

As for the verification issue, parties all agreed that verification is necessary, the problem is how to proceed with verification. The discussion on this issue is serious, candid and beneficial.

As the host country of the Six-Party Talks, China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with other parties to promote the process in an all-round way, and play a constructive role in the realization of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsular, normalization of relations between relevant countries and establishment of the peace and security mechanism in Northeast Asia.

Q: During the Beijing Olympics, some news websites including BBC Chinese web pages were accessible, but now these websites are blocked again. How do you explain?

A: I'm not aware of the specifics you mentioned. China adopts policy of opening up, and meanwhile, administers internet according to law.

Q: French President Sarkozy said recently that several European state leaders had met with Dalai, so he should not be the only one to blame for the current intense relations between China and the EU. He also said France would like to restart dialogue with China, but not at the cost of Europe values. Could you comment?

A: About French leader's meeting with Dalai, we have stated China's solemn position on many occasions. Just now you quoted President Sarkozy as saying that relevant issue cannot be handled at the cost of Europe values. We have no intention to tell others what values to adopt, but we certainly cannot accept taking values as an excuse to undermine the interest of other countries and peoples. France is a great nation, I don't believe the values of France are built at the expense of others' interest.

Q: Could you brief us on Vice Premier Li Keqiang's itinerary in Indonesia?

A: During his visit to Indonesia, Vice Premier Li Keqiang will meet with President Susilo, and hold talks with Vice President Kalla. He will also attend the third China-Indonesia energy conference. Leaders of the two countries will exchange views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest. The visit will help to promote further development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

China and Indonesia are friendly neighbors, with sound development momentum of bilateral relations. Since their strategic partnership was established in 2005, the two countries have enjoyed frequent high-level exchange, fruitful cooperation in economy and trade, science and technology, culture and education, and close coordination in major international and regional issues. China attaches great importance to its relations with Indonesia, and is ready to make joint efforts with Indonesia to further promote the strategic partnership so as to bring benefit to the two peoples and contribute to peace and development of the region and the world.

Q: During the past two weeks, several Chinese journalists covering corruption in Shanxi Province have been arrested in succession. One of them disappeared for two weeks till domestic media exposed the story. The local government in Shanxi Province accused those journalists of bribery during investigation of corruption. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Reform and Opening-up, is the Central Government worried about the trampling on the press freedom? Have you had any contact with the government of Shanxi Province? What will happen to foreign journalists if they are to investigate these issues there?

A: I will address the last part of your question first, which is the only part more relevant to me. If the foreign journalists go to Shanxi Province, I believe that, firstly, the local government will welcome you there. Secondly, I believe they will do their best to facilitate your reporting activities. Thirdly, I believe that the lately issued Regulations on News Coverage by Permanent Offices of Foreign Media Organizations and Foreign Journalists will be implemented precisely and comprehensively. If you run into any problem when reporting in Shanxi or any other provinces in China, don't forget to contact the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the local offices of foreign affairs. We will try our best to help you resolve relevant questions and in the shortest time. In the meantime, we also hope you can abide by relevant laws in China. As for the trouble Chinese journalists encountered in Shanxi, I don't know the specifics. But I believe that relevant issues will be handled properly within the legal framework.

Q: Do you know next year will be the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France? Will the two parties celebrate the event? It is said that President Sarkozy will visit China, and President Hu Jintao may visit France, is this possible?

Q: Regarding websites being blocked, you said just now that you were not aware of the specific case which includes the Chinese language website of the Voice of America, and also the websites of Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders. In your answer you said that these cases were handled according to the law. Is there an understanding that these sites have violated the law of China?

A: As I have said, firstly, the Chinese Government exercises necessary management of internet according to the law, which is the same practice in other countries. Secondly, it is undeniable that some websites do violate the Chinese law. For instance, some websites publicly stage "two Chinas" by putting the mainland China and China's Taiwan Province into two independent categories, which has violated the Anti-Secession Law of China. I hope that these websites exercise self-discipline and abide by the Chinese laws, in order to pave the way for better internet cooperation.

Q: The new Prime Minister of Thailand has been elected. Do you have any comment?

A: We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Mr. Abhisit on his election as Prime Minister of Thailand. We hope to see Thailand, our friendly neighbor, maintain social harmony and economic development, with its people living a happy life.

Q: After WTO Appellate Body rejected China's appeal, the US Trade Representative Schwab urged China to stop imposing extra fees on imported auto parts. What is your response? Does China intend to comply?

A: I have contacted my colleagues in the Ministry of Commerce, who will release a statement on this issue to elaborate China's position very soon. So I'd like to leave your question to them.

If there are no more questions, thank you for coming.