By Li Xiaokun
Updated: 2007-09-05 07:43

The government has formed a special group in the Foreign Ministry to better fight climate change, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press briefing Tuesday.

A ministry statement released on Monday said a foreign-oriented leading group to handle climate change has been formed. It is headed by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, and has 11 relevant departments under the ministry as its members.

"China attaches great importance to climate change," Jiang said. "Earlier, we set up a national group to handle the problem under the leadership of Premier Wen Jiabao and announced a national action plan on climate change. That demonstrates our stance and resolution of reacting positively to the problem.

"The Chinese government, as always, is willing to make unremitting efforts with the international community to handle climate change in line with the convention (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the protocol (Tokyo Protocol)."

The ministry has chosen former ambassador to Tanzania Yu Qingtai as special representative in charge of international negotiations on climate change, Jiang said.

Taiwan move condemned

Reacting to Taiwan's recent move seeking UN membership, Jiang said the Chinese government is firmly against any move toward secession and that it is "keeping a close eye on the situation".

"There is only one China and Taiwan is an inseparable part of it. The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legal administration that represents China," Jiang said.

The containment of Taiwan's separatist forces is in accordance with China's and the US' mutual interests, Jiang said. She urged the two sides to collaborate in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Arms sale charge denied

Jiang rubbished the allegations on China's arms deals with the Taliban, saying the charges were baseless.

"The Chinese government has been cautious and responsible with sale of military products, (it has followed) international obligations and UN Security Council resolutions, as well as domestic laws and regulations."

China has a strict management system for export of military products and actively supports and participates in international efforts to combate illegal arms trade, she said.

DPRK-US talks

The spokeswoman welcomed the encouraging results of the recent talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US in Geneva, hoping the two sides would continue to "enhance mutual trust through contacts and resolve the problems through negotiations".

During the two-day talks that concluded on Sunday, the DPRK agreed to declare and disable all its nuclear facilities by the end of this year.

China has kept abreast with the other aspects of the Six-Party Talks, too, Jiang said.