On the afternoon of December 24, 2009, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference and answered questions.

Jiang Yu: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement to start with. At the invitation of Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of the Republic of Djibouti will pay an official visit to China from December 28 to 30.

Now, the floor is open.

Q: The Nepalese Prime Minister is going to visit China. Can you brief us on his itinerary?

A: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal of Nepal will pay an official visit to China from December 26 to 31. He is going to visit Lhasa, Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai. During his stay in Beijing, he will have talks with Premier Wen Jiabao and meet with other Chinese leaders.

Q: In the negotiations between Iran and the P5 plus Germany, a plan by the IAEA was proposed under which Iran will swap 1200 kg of lowly-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. In response, the Iranian Foreign Minister proposed on December 12 that Iran will swap 400 kg of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. How does China view the proposal of Iran's Foreign Minister?

A: China supports the efforts of the parties concerned in reaching an early agreement on the draft accord proposed by the former IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei. On December 22, China, the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and Germany held a telephone conference during which they exchanged views on the current situation of the Iranian nuclear issue. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei attended the meeting. We believe that the pressing task now is that all parties concerned should step up diplomatic efforts, maintain and push forward the process of dialogue and negotiation to seek a comprehensive, long-term and proper settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Q: Some foreign diplomats wanted to attend Liu Xiaobo's trial yesterday, but they were denied access. Why? Does China have any policy of not allowing foreign diplomats to attend legal proceedings?

A: On your question of foreign diplomats' request to attend Liu Xiaobo's trial, the court has handled it according to the relevant regulations and made an explanation. On December 23, the First Intermediate People's Court of the Beijing Municipality publicly tried the Liu Xiaobo case according to law. What I want to stress is that Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese citizen. The Chinese judiciary handles the case independently according to law. This case is completely China's internal affair. The so-called "statement" by some officials of certain foreign embassy is a gross interference in China's domestic judicial affair and a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and demands that the country in question respect China's judicial sovereignty and do not do things that will interfere in China's internal affairs.

Q: There is a deadline by the end of this year for Iran to swap lowly-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, or face more sanctions. What's China position's on this?

A: On the Iranian nuclear issue, we have always stood for a proper settlement through diplomatic negotiations. We believe that sanctions cannot address the issue from the root. The immediate priority for all parties is that they should continue to step up diplomatic efforts and adhere to the track of negotiation.

Q: Regarding the Uighurs who were deported by Cambodia a few days ago, you said that they are suspected of criminal cases, I wonder what the charges are?

A: Some of them are suspected of involvement in criminal crimes. The Chinese judiciary will handle the relevant cases in strict accordance with the law. As far as I know, some of them are suspected of involvement in such crimes as arson and illegal manufacture of explosives.

Q: France proposed to the United Nations Security Council that those who were responsible for "crimes against humanity" during the coup in Guinea in September should be brought to international justice. As one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, how does China react to it?

A: China has been following the development in Guinea closely. We believe that any action taken by the international community should be conducive to maintaining stability and promoting political reconciliation in Guinea. China is ready to work closely with the relevant parties for the above goals.

Q: During his visit to China, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that he would pave the way for President Sarkozy's visit to China. How does China comment?

A: French Prime Minister Fillon has just paid a successful visit to China, during which the two sides reached broad consensus on further advancing China-France comprehensive strategic partnership. Maintaining high-level visits between the two countries is of great significance to China-France relations. We are ready to work with the French side to push forward the bilateral relations on the track of sound and stable development.

If there are no more questions, the press conference concludes here. Thank you for your coming. See you next week.