Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met in Soeul separately with senior
officials of Bhutan and Brunei Monday, pledging to enhance friendly
cooperation with the two nations.
China always cherishes the long-standing friendship with Bhutan
and respects Bhutan's independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity, Yang said when meeting with Bhutan's Information and
Communication Minister Leki Dorji at the sixth ministerial meeting
of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).
China is willing to strengthen bilateral ties with Bhutan by
enhancing cooperation and exchanges, said Yang, who also praised
Bhutan for its steadfast support for China on the issues of Taiwan
and Tibet.
As for the issue of the China-Bhutan border, Yang said he hoped
the two nations could continue their friendly consultation before
reaching a just and reasonable resolution, which is acceptable to
both sides.
Agreeing with Yang, Duoji said that he hoped the China-Bhutan
border could remain peaceful and stable.
The exchanges between the people of Bhutan and China are
steadily increasing and Bhutan will continue to stick to the
one-China policy and seek enhanced cooperation with China, Duoji
added.
While meeting with the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Trade of Brunei Lim Jock Seng, Yang said that China is willing to
work with Brunei to strengthen bilateral ties by enhancing
cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, energy, information
and communication.
Yang also praised Brunei, the current coordinating country of
ASEAN-China dialogue relations, for its efforts in promoting
cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and China.
As for the issue of the South China Sea, Yang reiterated that
China will always adhere to its position of "shelving disputes and
joint exploration" and is ready to discuss with Brunei the ways
ofjointly exploring the disputed maritime space.
Brunei hopes to maintain all levels of exchanges with China and
promote friendly bilateral cooperation, especially in such areas as
energy, tourism and aviation, said Lim, adding that he hopes the
issue of the South China Sea could arrive at a just and friendly
resolution.
Top diplomats from 30 Asian countries gathered here for the ACD
meeting, a regional forum held Monday and Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2007)
