The Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a call for international cooperation if any progress is to be made in curbing such criminal activities as trafficking in human beings and illegal immigration.

The Chinese government stands firmly opposed to any such illicit activities, ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news briefing.

Recent times have seen China perform a series of successful measures using law enforcement, publicity and education to help reduce illegal immigration, Qin said.

Since illegal immigration and human being trafficking are international plagues that affect the whole world, Qin said that China called for more international cooperation to tackle the root causes of these issues.

Turning to the "comfort women" issue, Qin further encouraged Japan to tackle the problem head-on and solve it correctly.

Japan needs to develop a responsible attitude towards its history, and lay the issue to rest by answering the concerns of the international community, he said.

It is an undeniable fact that women from different countries were press-ganged into serving as "comfort women" in state-sponsored Japanese military brothels, he noted, urging Japan to improve its international standing by facing up to the issue.

Addressing human rights, Qin stated that the Chinese government paper Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006 was being held up as "a mirror" for the US to see its own human rights practices reflected.

The US government is no human rights watchdog, does not have the right to cast itself in such light, and must not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries by using the pretext of human rights, Qin reiterated.

He said that China would be more than happy to offer the "Four Books and Five Classics," a blanket term covering the nine Confucian classics, to the US government enabling them to reflect on the Chinese lore master's teachings.

"The books by Confucius not only teach people good manners, but also how to effectively manage state affairs," Qin said, outlining the principles of self-improvement, household management, government administration, and peace and order.

The State Council Information Office published The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006 in Beijing yesterday, responding to the US State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006 released on March 6, which takes issue with China's human rights conditions.

Commenting on US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' remarks that China is not "a strategic adversary" of the US, Qin said the two world powers should boost cooperation and synchronize common interests in international affairs.

"I do not see China, at this point, as a strategic adversary of the US," Gates said in Washington on Wednesday. "It's a partner in some respects and a competitor in others, and we have adopted a wait-and-see policy."

Qin urged both sides to forge ahead with constructive and cooperative relations and to keep working under the consensus reached by the two presidents.

The development of China's national defense force, including its navies, are wholly unthreatening to other nations, Qin said, answering questions on reports that China will possess its first aircraft carrier by 2010.

Qin highlighted that China has a duty to protect its large coastal areas and territorial seas.

According to Qin, all military increases will be studied carefully by relevant departments taking all issues under consideration.

The national defense force exists only to safeguard the nation's security and development interests, never to begin an international arms race, he said.

Qin underscored China's consistent adherence to peaceful development and a "defensive" national defense policy. China will always stand ready to work with the international community on ensuring a world of sustained peace and common prosperity.

Turning to the Korean Peninsula, Qin said China applauds the US-North Korea and Japan-North Korea bilateral meetings, describing them as important for the resolution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and to implementing the statement released on September 19, 2005.

The fifth round of six-party talks ended in Beijing on February 13 with all parties agreeing to establish separate working groups relating to the denuclearization of the peninsula, the normalization of North Korea ties with the US and Japan, economic and energy cooperation, and a Northeast Asia peace and security mechanism.

North Korean and US delegations met in New York on March 5 and 6 to discuss normalizing ties.  US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, leading their respective delegations at the six-party talks, came out of the meeting in a buoyant mood.

Kim arrived in Beijing last night and to meet his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei today and brief him as to the outcome of the meeting with Hill.

Qin said China has been in active consultation with the other parties, although no concrete steps have so far been seen in terms of the working groups not related to bilateral relations. However, progress will definitely be made before the sixth round of six-party talks opens on March 19.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2007)