Cablegate: January 7 Mfa Press Briefing:

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SUBJECT: JANUARY 7 MFA PRESS BRIEFING:

1. Key points at the January 7 MFA press briefing were:

-- China opposes the use of sanctions against Iran and believes
nuclear proliferation concerns should be resolved through diplomatic
channels.

-- Japan's territorial claim to the "reef" in the East China Sea
goes against the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the common
interests of the international community.

-- China firmly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which it believes
are inconsistent with the three Joint Communiques, especially the
August 17 Communique.

-- MFA Spokeswoman Jiang Yu was not aware that Tibetan film maker
Dhondup Wangchen had been sentenced to prison but claimed that "only
those who break the law are punished."

-- China and Taiwan will begin negotiating ECFA on January 20.

-- Information about Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei's transfer and
end of term will be available "in due course."

Iran Sanctions
---------------

2. At the January 7 regularly scheduled Foreign Ministry press
briefing, Spokesperson Jiang Yu said that, as Chinese Ambassador to
the UN Zhang Yesui had already stated, China opposes the use of
sanctions against Iran. China believed resolution of the Iran
nuclear issue should be pursued through diplomatic channels and
hoped that the nations concerned do not abandon diplomatic efforts.
Jiang urged "flexibility" in reaching a resolution.

Japanese Territorial Claims
----------------------------

3. Japan's claims to the "reef" in the East China Sea (although
Jiang did not identify them by name she may have been referring to
the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands) violate both the UN Convention on the
Law of the Sea and the "common interests" of the international
community. Building structures on the disputed "reef" will not
change its legal status, Jiang said.

Arms Sales to Taiwan
--------------------

4. China firmly opposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Jiang said. Arms
sales run contrary to the three Joint Communiques, especially the
August 17 Communique, asserted Jiang. The United States should stop
selling arms to Taiwan since arms sales undermine "overall
cooperation" between the United States and China.

Dhondup Wangchen Sentence
-------------------------

5. Asked about the December 28 sentencing of filmmaker Dhondup
Wangchen, Jiang said she was not aware of any prison sentence being
handed down in the case. However, she asserted that Chinese
citizens enjoy freedom of speech and equal treatment before the law.
"Only those who break the law are punished," Jiang said.

Cross-Strait Economic Talks
----------------------------

6. Jiang announced that China and Taiwan would begin negotiations
on the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) on January
20.

Software Piracy
---------------

7. In response to an inquiry about the reports that Green Dam
software had been pirated from a U.S. firm, Jiang stated that China
"highly values and fully respects" intellectual property rights and
opposes computer software piracy.

He Yafei
--------

8. When asked if Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, whose end of term
had been announced by the State Council on January 4, had been
removed from his post for poor performance, Jiang replied that
information will become available "in due course."

BEIJING 00000029 002 OF 002

Inauguration of Mozambique President
-----------------------------------

9. China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming would travel to
Mozambique January 13-14 in the capacity of special envoy to attend
the inauguration of President Armando Guebuza, Jiang announced.

HUNTSMAN

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