2010-07-15 09:08

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi here on Wednesday called on all countries not to provide stage for Tibetan separatists, saying Tibet-related issues are purely China's internal affairs.

Yang made the remarks at a press briefing after his talks with his British counterpart William Hague.

He said it is widely recognized by the international community that Tibet has been an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient times.

He said Tibet adopts the system of ethnic regional autonomy, according to China's Constitution and Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority Nationalities.

In March 1959, the Chinese government dissolved the aristocratic local government of Tibet and freed more than 1 million serfs.

Since the democratic reforms more than 50 years ago, Tibet has made remarkable achievements in all fields including political, economic, cultural areas, and enjoyed comprehensive social progress, great improvement of people's living standard, and proper preservation of cultural heritages, Yang said, adding the Tibetan people fully enjoy freedom of speech and all rights endowed in the laws.

The Tibet issue bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its core interests, and is the internal affair of China, Yang said.

He called on countries to respect China's sovereignty, not to provide a stage for the Tibetan separatists.

In response to questions concerning Afghanistan, Yang said China would like to work with the international community, including Britain, to work actively for an early settlement of the Afghanistan issue.

He said as Afghanistan is an important neighbor of China, China is committed to develop good neighborly friendship with Afghanistan.

China highly values, and actively takes part in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan, he said, adding China welcomes an independent Afghanistan with peace, stability and progress, and neighborly friendliness.

During the talks and the press briefing, Yang also called on China and Britain to properly handle their differences, and work together in tackling global and regional challenges.

Maintaining and furthering Sino-British relationship conforms with the fundamental interests of the two countries, he said.