On the afternoon of June 10, 2008, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang held a regular press conference and answered questions on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's upcoming visit to China, the bilateral talks between the DPRK and Japan, Sudanese Vice President Taha's visit to China and ect.

Qin Gang: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to start with an announcement. At the invitation of the Chinese Government, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will pay a visit to China from July 1 to 3.

Now I'm ready to take your questions.

Q: Early Tuesday morning, a Taiwan fishing boat sank after colliding with a patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard around the Diaoyu Island. What is your comment?

A: China owns an indisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Island which has been an intrinsic part of the Chinese territory since ancient times. We express grave concern and strong dissatisfaction over the Japanese vessel's activity around the Diaoyu Island which led to the sinking of the Taiwan fishing boat. We request the Japanese Government to stop its illegal activities around the Diaoyu Island to prevent such things from happening again.

Q: It's reported that during President Bush's visit to Europe, the US and the EU will issue a statement appealing the Chinese Government to have substantive dialogue with the Dalai side at an early date. What is your response? When will the next round of dialogue be held? Could you also brief us on Mr. Ban Ki-moon's itinerary in China? Whom will he meet with?

A: I have not seen the US-EU statement you mentioned, so I'm not in a position to respond.

But I would like to stress that Tibet is China's Tibet, it is an inalienable part of China. The Tibet issue is China's internal affairs which brook no foreign interference. The Chinese people and the Chinese Government are capable of handling our own issues.

The specific arrangement for Secretary Ban Ki-moon's visit to China is still under discussion between China and the United Nations. We will release relevant information once the arrangement is finalized.

Q: It's reported that the French Foreign Ministry complained on June 9 that relevant Chinese authorities pressed travel agencies in Beijing not to organize tourist trips to France. Could you confirm?

A: We follow the principle that people from different countries should have more exchanges so as to better understand each other. Meanwhile, we hope that France could do more to attract more Chinese tourists.

Q: The DPRK and Japan are starting their official talks in Beijing tomorrow. Do you have any comment? Could you brief us on the specific arrangement?

A: We welcome the bilateral meeting between the DPRK and Japan. We hope their meeting will produce positive results, promote the normalization of the bilateral relations and push forward the Six-Party Talks. As China is not a party to this meeting, you should refer the specifics to those two countries.

If there are no more questions, thank you for your attendance. See you next time!