Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing meets the press and answers questions at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature at the Great Hall of the People at 15:00 a.m. (07:00 GMT) Tuesday.

China Central Television, China National Radio, China Radio International, the websites of the People's Daily, Xinhua, and the Chinese central government website live broadcast the press conference.

Li Zhaoxing said the government will do its best to protect its citizens abroad, and he advised them to better protect themselves.

He advised Chinese citizens to learn local laws customs and abide by them when traveling abroad, and keep in mind the phone numbers of Chinese embassies and consulates in mind.

China will continue to work for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia and to facilitate the talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, said the foreign minister.

"China has maintained communication and coordination with all parties involved for the early resumption of the six-party talks," Li told a press conference held on the sideline of the ongoing annual full session of the Tenth National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

He didn't directly answer the question of a correspondent from the Republic of Korea whether the six-party talks will resume before Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States scheduled for April.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is going to visit the United States shortly, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said.

It is the first time that Hu visits the United States as Chinese president. Both sides are busy preparing for the visit, Li said

Li stressed that the Taiwan issue is the "biggest" factor affecting Sino-U.S. relations, expressing the hope that the U.S. side sticks to the one-China policy, observes the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, has a clear understanding of the dangerous nature of "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and activities, and takes concrete measures to oppose such attempts.

The minister called on the U.S. side not to send false signals to "Taiwan independence" secessionists and work together with China to safeguard the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits region and the overall interests in Sino-U.S. relations.

"We are ready to work with the U.S. side to strengthen mutual understanding, expand common ground, deepen mutual trust, promote cooperation, and properly settle our differences with a view of promoting the sound development of bilateral relations," Li said.

China hopes Vatican will not intervene in its internal affairs in any form, said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Tuesday in response to a question that Vatican appointed a Hong Kong person as the cardinal- bishop recently.

We hope Vatican will not maintain a so-called diplomatic relations with a province or a locality of China, Li said.

Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is Chinese people's, including Hong Kong compatriots', said Li, adding that China is happy to see the achievements made by the Hong Kong compatriots under the leadership of the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government.

"With the regard to the affairs in Hong Kong, We will abide by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of Hong Kong. "

China's defense budget is much smaller than that of the United States, despite the expected rise of 14.7 percent this year, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said. The per capita defense budget of China is only one-seventy- seventh that of the United States.

The increase will bring China's defense budget to 280.729 billion yuan (35 billion U.S. dollars) in 2006.

People should learn to see through the figure and seek basic facts behind the percentage, Li said. It is well known that China takes a defensive strategy, the minister said.

Li made the remarks while answering a question from a reporter of Bloomberg based in the United States.

The Iran nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomatic channels and negotiation, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Tuesday.

Li said there is still room for resolving the Iran nuclear issue under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the international community should not give up efforts toward this goal.

He called on all parties concerned to remain calm, patient and flexible to seek a diplomatic solution.

"We support the maintenance of nuclear non-proliferation mechanism, oppose nuclear weapon proliferation and resolve the Iran nuclear issue as early as possible through diplomacy and negotiation," said Li.

He stressed that it is very important for the international community to keep the consensus of resolving the issue diplomatically as there is still room for resolving the issue under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The international community should not give up efforts toward this goal.

He hoped negotiations on the issue would yield positive results and called on all parties concerned to remain calm, restrained, patient and flexible to seek a diplomatic solution.

China is ready to maintain communication and coordination with all nations concerned for properly resolving the issue and for peace, he said.

Zhang Yan, director of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is now in Vienna working on the issue, he said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russia's President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China later this month, said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Tuesday.

"The visit is expected to boost the all-round development of the Sino-Russian Strategic Partnership of Cooperation, and facilitate world peace, stability and development," he said.

Li said during Putin's visit, the two presidents would jointly attend the opening ceremony of "the Year of Russia" in China and a Sino-Russia high-level business forum.

The two sides would also issue political documents and sign a series of mutual cooperative treaties.

Li made the remarks at a press conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual full session of the Tenth National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Tuesday that the Taiwan authorities have taken a "dangerous step" toward "Taiwan independence" by ceasing the function of "National Unification Council" and the application of its guidelines.

"This is a serious provocation to the one-China principle universally observed by the international community and to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits," Li told a press conference held on the sideline of the ongoing annual full session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The secessionist activities of the leader of Taiwan authorities, which have met strong opposition from people on both sides of the Straits and condemnation and contempt from the international community, will sure "end up in shameful failure," said the minister.

Japanese leaders should stop worshipping war criminals and hurting the feelings of people in China and other nations having suffered from Japanese invasions during the World War II, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Tuesday.

Li made the remark at a press conference held on the sideline of the ongoing annual full session of the 10th National People's Congress, the top legislature.

"The crucial problem challenging Sino-Japanese relations now is that certain Japanese leaders still insist on paying homage to class-A war criminals of the World War II," Li said in response to the question of a Japanese journalist.

The action can not be accepted by the Chinese people and wartime victims of many other nations, he added.

"This is a issue of very serious nature," Li stressed.