On the afternoon of May 5, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference.

Jiang Yu started the press conference with the following announcements:

At the invitation of EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative and Vice President of European Commission Catherine Ashton and the Government of the Republic of Hungary, State Councilor Dai Bingguo will attend the second round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue in Hungary and pay a visit to Hungary from May 12 to 15.

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Kazykhanov of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will attend the regular meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization MFA Council in Almaty on May 14. The meeting is to make preparation for the SCO Summit in mid-June and exchange views on deepening practical cooperation among SCO members in various fields as well as major international and regional issues.

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Rassoul of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will pay an official visit to China from May 9 to 12.

Q: How does China comment on the current China-EU relations? What expectation does China have towards the second round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue?

A: China-EU relations enjoy a sound momentum of growth at present, with close political interaction, fruitful economic and trade cooperation as well as thriving cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The current international landscape is undergoing profound and complex changes and global economic recovery is not yet steady. Both China and Europe are at a critical stage of development with strong aspiration of boosting bilateral relations.

China attaches great importance to its relations with the EU, regarding Europe as an important cooperative partner. We support the EU integration process and welcome it playing a more positive role in international affairs. China pursues to develop an equal partnership with Europe and conduct wide-ranging cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Economically, China-EU cooperation is complementary and mutually beneficial. The two sides should seize new opportunities brought by China's "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and "EU 2020 Strategy" to expand new ground for cooperation and elevate the level of cooperation.

Politically, China and the EU should increase dialogue so as to enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust. What is important is to advance strategic cooperation on the basis of mutual recognition of each other's political reality and development path.

During the second round of China-EU Strategic Dialogue, the two sides will exchange views on the new developments in international landscape, the development path of China and China-EU relations, which will be conducive to further enhancing mutual understanding and mutual trust.

In addition, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council will pay a visit to China. China stands ready to make joint efforts with the European side to make all these activities a success and give a boost to China-EU relations.

Q: It is reported that the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries will be held in Istanbul recently. Will Chinese officials attend the conference? Would you please give us some details?

A: The fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from May 9 to 13, with the theme of "partnership against poverty".

Held once in a decade, the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries is to deliberate and formulate the general plan, priority areas and specific targets for the international community to support the development of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The upcoming conference will adopt an outcome document entitled the Istanbul Action Plan, charting the course for the next ten-year development of the LDCs. This conference is of great significance in mobilizing the will and resources of the international community to support the LDCs attaining development.

China always pays high attenttion to the development issue of the LDCs and exerts our utmost to help them realize development goals. China fully participated in the preparation process of the conference and donated 300,000 USD to the trust fund of the conference for the exclusive use of sponsoring the participation of the representatives of the LDCs.

We hope that the conference will draw on past experiences, be action-oriented and fully reflect the needs and concerns of the LDCs. We also call on the developed countries to honor their commitment as soon as possible of appropriating 0.15% to 0.2% of their Gross National Income to assist the LDCs. Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying will attend the conference as head of the Chinese delegation. We stand ready to act in close coordination with all parties to make the conference a success.

Q: Will China allow the US aircraft-carrier Carl Vinson visit Hong Kong?

A: We have received the application from the US and is handling it in accordance with relevant procedures. We examine and approve similar applications from foreign naval vessels in line with the sovereignty principle as well as specific conditions in a case-by-case manner.

Q: On May 4, major Palestinian factions held a ceremony in Cairo to celebrate the official signing of the internal reconciliation agreement. What is China's comment?

A: China welcomes and extends congratulations to the signing of the internal reconciliation agreement among different factions of Palestine. We appreciate the efforts by Egypt and all relevant parties in this regard. We hope it will be conducive to solidarity and cooperation within Palestine as well as Middle East peace process.

Q: G8 Summit will be convened late this month in France. Has China been invited?

A: G8 is a cooperation mechanism for developed countries, to which China does not belong. G20 has more balanced representativeness, as it is made up of both developed and developing countries. G20 members make joint decisions through equal consultation, demonstrating the spirit of democratisation of international relations. We hope to see the G20 mechanism playing a more important role in global economic governance based on constant improvement.

Both China and G8 countries are members of G20. Therefore we can conduct dialogue and cooperation under the G20 framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth of the global economy.

Q: Bin Laden was shot dead by the US in Pakistan recently. What is China's position on US military action in other countries without local authorization?

A: We have made clear our position on this action. China deems terrorism as the public enemy of the international community. The international community should rise up to the threat of terrorism with enhanced coordination and joint efforts. Meanwhile, we maintain that countries' independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected. We shall adopt a holistic approach to address both the symptoms and root causes of terrorism in a bid to eliminate its breeding ground.

Q: Would you please brief us on the upcoming China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues? What will be discussed by the two sides in the fields of economy and human rights?

A: A briefing on this round of Dialogues will be held tomorrow morning. China has elaborated on many occasions its position on China-US economic and trade cooperation. Sound and stable economic relations and trade are in the common interests of both countries. We hope people from all circles in the US will be fully aware of the significance and mutually beneficial nature of China-US economic and trade cooperation. It is only natural that frictions arise in the midst of rapidly growing bilateral economic relations and trade. We seek to appropriately address these problems together with the US through equal consultation in a constructive manner.

Compared with the very beginning when China and the US established diplomatic ties, the two-way trade volume has increased by 150 times, topping 385.3 billion USD. The two countries are each other's second largest trading partner, and China has been the US's fastest growing export market for 9 years in a row. These statistics speak volumes for the mutually beneficial nature of China-US economic relations and trade.

With regard to the bilateral exchanges in the field of human rights, the China-US Human Rights Dialogue has just wrapped up. The two sides briefed each other on their respective progress in this field and had an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on issues including UN human rights cooperation, the rule of law, labor rights and freedom of speech. We believe that the human rights dialogue can only yield positive outcome by earnestly following the principle of equality and mutual respect.

Q: Would you please tell us about China's counter-terrorism policy. Will Bin Laden's death affect China's counter-terrorism policy?

A: China is also a victim of terrorism. Some terrorist forces orchestrate a great deal of terrorist activities in and outside China with an aim to split China, which poses severe threats to China's national security as well as regional peace and stability. The fight against the East Turkistan terrorist forces takes up an important part of the international counter-terrorism campaign. Despite the positive progress of international counter-terrorism cooperation, the situation remains grim and complex, thus requiring intensified cooperation of the international community to fend off and crack down on terrorism.

Q: US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said recently that US companies faced a worsening investment environment in China and China's restrictions on foreign investment were the main hurdle in China-US economic relations and trade. How do you comment?

A: China-US relations are an important and broad-based cooperative relationship. We expect the new US ambassador to China continues to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation across the board.

On China's investment environment, competent Chinese authorities have expounded on China's relevant policies and measures several times. China upholds a win-win strategy of opening up and the Chinese market is one of the most attractive investment markets in the world. According to the UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2010, China's foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows rank second in the world in 2010 and first among developing countries for 18 years in a row. These figures speak for themselves.

We will continue to improve foreign investment-related laws and regulations in accordance with WTO rules and provide a stable, transparent and expectable investment environment for foreign investors. All foreign enterprises legally registered in China enjoy national treatment. We treat them alike and equally when it comes to accreditation of independent innovation products, protection of intellectual property rights and government procurement. Last year, the State Council issued the Several Opinions on Better Utilization of Foreign Investment, putting forward 20 specific policy measures. We welcome foreign enterprises including US enterprises actively participating in China's reform and opening up process.

China's market is open with fierce competition. We hope foreign enterprises achieve success in the Chinese market by their own advantages and strength, thus enjoying the opportunities and fruits of China's reform, opening up, development and prosperity.

Q: How do you respond to the comments that the US should reduce assistance toward Pakistan due to the Pakistani military's incompetence over the killing of Bin Laden?

A: Pakistan is at the forefront of counter-terrorism. The international community should give Pakistan more understanding and support. China respects and understands Pakistan's position, continues to support it formulating and implementing counter-terrorism strategies based on its national conditions and appreciates Pakistan's active participation in international counter-terrorism cooperation.

Q: It is reported that China put pressure on Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to prevent people from these two countries attending a meeting in the US. Please confirm.

A: I haven't seen relevant report. Terrorism poses a realistic threat to security and stability of both China and Central Asian countries. Stepping up cooperation in a joint fight against regional terrorism is an important part of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

I'd like to take this opportunity to brief you on China's counter-terrorism cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states. Over the past decade since the SCO's establishment, China has worked closely with other SCO members, conducting active cooperation in fighting the "three forces" and safeguarding regional stability, and achieving a number of results. First, competent authorities of the member states have held regular meetings and formulated the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, the SCO Counter-Terrorism Convention and other cooperation documents, thus cementing the legal base for China's counter-terrorism cooperation with other countries in the region. Second, the member states effectively learned from the successful experiences and modes of security cooperation for the Beijing Olympic Games. Security cooperation for the Astana Summit and the Shenzhen Universiade this year is moving ahead in an orderly manner. Third, the SCO follows the practices of other international and regional organizations and holds regular counter-terrorism exercises to enhance capabilities of counter-terrorism action. Fourth, the SCO actively engages in international counter-terrorism cooperation and has established cooperation relationships with ASEAN, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

I announced just now that the SCO member states would hold a regular meeting of the SCO MFA Council to prepare for the SCO Summit. The foreign ministers will have an in-depth exchange of views on the international and regional situation, deepening practical cooperation across the board among the member states, strengthening SCO internal building and other issues of common interest.