Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said Wednesday in Beijing that the Chinese government strongly urges the Japanese government to take proper measures to speed up the process of destroying those abandoned Japanese chemical weapon discovered in China.

Liu made the remarks in response to a journalist's question on the latest discovery of chemical weapons abandoned by invading Japanese troops during World War II in Qiqihar City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Liu said on May 23 and 24, Qiqihar City reported finding a mustard gas cylinder, which experts confirmed to be chemical weapons left by invading Japanese troops during World War II. The local government immediately disposed the poisoning source and avoided human casualty.

Liu said the Chinese government made diplomatic representation to the Japanese side The Japanese experts confirmed on May 31 thatthe discovered cylinder and cannonballs were indeed the abandoned Japanese chemical weapons.

Liu said the Chinese government has requested the Japanese sideto send staffs to China to clear up and seal up those chemical weapons. At the same time, the Chinese side strongly urges the Japanese side to take proper measures to speed up the process of destroying those weapons.