On the afternoon of August 11, 2003, visiting Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held a press conference at Japan National Press Club and answered questions concerning China-Japan relations and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear issue.

In response to the question on the time and form of the envisioned six-party talks of the DPRK nuclear issue raised by journalists of Yomiuri Shimbun, Li said that China was consulting with the other five countries. China maintains that the DPRK issue should be solved through peaceful means to realize non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsular. To this end, China has made long-term and patient efforts and hopes Japan can play a constructive role on this issue.

On the question concerning the probability of success of the six-country talks asked by Fuji TV, Li expressed his full confidence over the success of the talks. He said that was because the talks would benefit every party concerned and were also in the interests of peace and stability of the region and the whole world at large. Li noted that the related parties had all expressed their willingness to solve the issue through peaceful means and the Japanese side noted it would like to play a constructive role, which was to the satisfaction of the Chinese side. He said that the six-party talks were the continuation of the Beijing talks of this April. The Chinese side is willing to make unswerving efforts with related parties to help deliver results in the talks and make the process of talks continue to realize the final and permanent peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

In answering how to view the historical issues amidst the China-Japan relations raised by the Asahi Shimbun, Li made three points. First, the Chinese people attach great importance to the principles of equal treatment of each other, peaceful coexistence, opposition to war, and mutual development, which are the biggest principles in the current international relations, and the reason why China highly evaluates Japan’s practice of a peaceful constitution and its pursuit of a path of peaceful development. He noted that the aggression war waged by the Japanese militarists brought unprecedentedly severe disasters for China and other Asian countries, the Japanese people also included. He said that it is necessary to squarely face the issue of history and have a correct understanding of it. He reiterated the principle of taking the history as a mirror and looking forward to the future, which is also of major significance to the development of Sino-Japanese good-neighborly relations of cooperation. He added that has already become a common understanding of both the Chinese and Japanese governments.

Second, Li said that the Chinese people are reasonable. We have always distinguished a few Japanese militarists from the Japanese people, and would not urge people nowadays to reckon for the past war. China appreciates the efforts of the vast Japanese people to seek peace and development. While it is quite understandable for average Japanese people to mourn their dear ones who passed away in that war as they were also wartime victims, Japanese leaders should not visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals who, not ordinary casualty of war, should be held responsible for the aggression.

Third, Li said that the Chinese people attach great importance to friendship. They cherish the friendly exchanges between China and Japan which is traced back to 2,000 years ago and the history of mutual learning and common progress. He said that it is for the sake of friendship and consolidation of traditional and current reciprocal cooperation that we should not forget the miserable history. He spoke highly of the active cooperation offered by the Japanese people in the reform and opening up cause as well as the modernization construction of China, and said China would not forget the precious support extended by Japan during China’s campaign against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. He said that China sincerely hopes that China-Japan relations can step out of shadows of history through joint efforts of both sides.

Asked by the journalist of Nihon Keizai Shimbun about how China views the calls of the United States and Japan to demand appreciation of the Chinese currency Renminbi (RMB), Li said that both Japan and US are major trading partners of China, and it is in the fundamental interests of all the three peoples to strengthen economic and trade cooperation. Echoing the remarks of Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi, Li noted that the economic development of China has never posed a threat to Japan but presents opportunities to Japan.

Li said that a country's foreign exchange rate should be determined by factors such as its own economic stages, financial monitoring level, capacity of enterprises and so on. He said that the current exchange rate of China matches the reality of China although there is some misunderstanding over this issue from the outside. He said that the exports of China are insignificant compared with the economic aggregate of both Japan and the US, which accounted for less than 2 percent of Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) and under 1 percent of US’ GDP , so it will not exert any big influence upon the economies of Japan and US.

Li said that historical experience merits attention. It was urged that RMB should be devaluated during the 1997 Asian financial crisis but China kept the RMB value unchanged in accordance with the domestic situation and also for the interests of Asian countries. As a result, despite some certain losses, China not only successfully withstood the crisis, promoted stability of Chinese economy and finance, but also avoided further proliferation of the financial crisis, won the praise of the international community, and made great contribution to Asian economy and financial stability. Li said that faced up with calls that China should raise the value of RMB, the Chinese government will continue to deal with the currency issue with a serious, prudent and responsible attitude. Reality would finally prove that stability of RMB is in the interests of financial and economic stability of the Asian-Pacific region and the world at large.