China frowned on Taiwan's efforts to invite former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to visit the island province, and urged Japan yesterday to be "on high alert" to such an invitation.

Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday formally invited Koizumi to visit the island. China sees such practices as separatist activities, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

"We oppose Taiwan authorities' activities of separating the motherland on the international stage in any name or with any excuses," Qin said at a regular news briefing, "We hope the Japanese side can be on high alert to this." He urged Japan to handle the question of Taiwan properly under the one-China principle.

Koizumi remains a member of the Japanese parliament after handing over the prime minister's reins to Shinzo Abe on Tuesday.

Discussing the prospects of a summit between China and Japan, Qin said that the Chinese Government attaches importance to relations with Japan and is willing to make joint efforts with Japan to improve and push Sino-Japanese relations.

"As for a summit meeting between the two leaders, our stance has been consistent and clear," said Qin at the briefing, without elaborating.

New Japanese Prime Minister Abe and President of Republic of Korea (ROK) Roh Moo-hyun held a 15-minute phone conversation yesterday, agreeing to meet at an early date to improve strained ties.

China and the ROK had shunned summits with Abe's predecessor, Koizumi, over his pilgrimages to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japanese war criminals and war dead.

Qin yesterday criticized Japan's new defence chief Fumio Kyuma for his remarks about so called China-threat.

Kyuma was quoted on Wednesday, one day after being named to the post in Abe's cabinet, as saying that China's increasing military spending posed a threat to Japan.

"China sticks to the road of peaceful development, China's development is not a threat to any country," said Qin.

The spokesman yesterday said that Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is China's chief representative on Six-Party Talks, would visit Seoul from Friday to Sunday.

"He will exchange views with the ROK side on promoting the resumption of the Six-Party Talks and other issues of mutual concern," said Qin.

ROK Foreign Ministry also confirmed the visit and added Wu would also discuss a planned summit meeting between the leaders of the two countries in October.

The ROK ministry also said Wu would meet South Korea's foreign minister and chief envoy to the Six-Party Talks. For nearly a year, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has boycotted the Six-Party Talks on nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula. Countries involved include the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, China, Japan and Russia.

ROK President Roh Moo-hyun said yesterday that his country has informed the DPRK of a ROK-US joint approach aimed at jump-starting the stalled talks on the DPRK's nuclear weapons programme, but said that Pyongyang hasn't yet given a response.

As for the United Nations peace-keeping efforts in Sudan's Darfur region, Qin said that UN peacekeepers must get approval from the Sudanese Government and China is willing to make efforts to let Darfur realize peace and stability at an early date.

Source: China Daily