On the afternoon of May 3, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu held a regular press conference.

Q: Does China believe the Pakistani Government's claim that it didn't know that Bin Laden lived close to Islamabad? Will the killing of Bin Laden affect China's policy toward Pakistan?

A: We made an official response to the incident yesterday. Terrorism is the public enemy of the international community. China opposes terrorism in all its manifestations and actively participates in international counter-terrorism efforts. The international community should step up coordination in taking a holistic approach which addresses both the symptoms and root causes and jointly combating terrorism.

Pakistan is at the important forefront in the international counter-terrorism campaign. The Pakistani Government is firm in resolve and strong in action when it comes to counter-terrorism and has made important contributions to the international counter-terrorism efforts. We have noted that after the incident, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that it would never allow its territory being used for terrorist attacks against any country and Pakistan would continue to support the international counter-terrorism efforts. We respect, understand and support Pakistan's position. China will continue to staunchly support Pakistan formulating and implementing counter-terrorism strategies based on its own national conditions and stands ready to work with South Asian countries including Indian and Pakistan to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

Q: Please brief us on the 19th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development that opened on May 2 in New York. Which Chinese official attends the meeting and what is your expectation?

A: The 19th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development held from May 2 to 13 in the UN headquarters in New York will discuss sustainable production and consumption, mining, transport, waste management, chemicals and other topics and look forward to the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

China attaches importance to the meeting, to which Ambassador Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations led the Chinese delegation. China believes that countries should work for resources-conserving and environment-friendly production, living and consumption modes so as to strike a balance among economic growth, social development and environmental protection. China hopes the participating parties have an extensive and in-depth discussion of relevant issues with a positive and practical attitude to deepen common ground. China is ready to work with all parties to push for a positive outcome out of the meeting.

Q: Can you talk about counter-terrorism cooperation between China and the US? You stressed the importance of eliminating the breeding ground of terrorism in your comment yesterday. What do you think China and the US should do in this regard?

A: China supports countries formulating and implementing counter-terrorism strategies according to their own national conditions, the UN Charter and other universally recognized international law and norms governing international relations. China believes that to effectively resolve the issue of terrorism, a holistic approach has to be taken to address both the symptoms and root causes so as to eliminate the breeding ground of terrorism.

Both suffering from terrorism, China and the US share common interests on counter-terrorism and have maintained sound cooperation. With a medium and long-term counter-terrorism exchanges and cooperation mechanism put in place in 2001, China and the US have held several rounds of consultation so far and conducted concrete cooperation on multiple projects. China is ready to continue to work with the US in light of the principle of cooperation on an equal footing and mutual benefit to deepen bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation in a joint effort to safeguard world peace and stability.

Q: What is your expectation of the upcoming third round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues? Which Chinese departments will attend the Dialogues?

A: During President Hu Jintao's successful visit to the US early this year, the two heads of state reached important consensus on building a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and benefit. China-US relations are faced with new opportunities for development at present. In this context, the two sides agreed to hold the third round of Strategic and Economic Dialogues in Washington from May 9 to 10. China and the US will focus on the implementation of the important consensus between the two heads of state and have an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on overall, strategic and long-term issues that have a bearing on the development of bilateral relations, with a view to enhancing understanding, mutual trust and cooperation and promoting a steady development of China-US cooperative partnership.

As far as I know, attending the Dialogues are officials from over 20 departments including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, the People's Bank of China, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the General Administration of Customs, the State Forestry Administration, the Banking Regulatory Commission, the Securities Regulatory Commission, the Insurance Regulatory Commission, the National Energy Administration, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and etc..

We will invite Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao to hold a press briefing on the upcoming China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues. Relevant arrangement of the briefing will be released on the website of IPC.

Q: The US expressed concern that US citizens and overseas diplomatic missions may be faced with intensified al-Qaeda reprisal attacks. Does China share that concern?

A: The international community has increased input, expanded concensus and cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism, thus yielding positive outcome over the years. However, terrorist activities are still rampant and the situation remains grim and complex for the international counter-terrorism campaign. The international community should rise up to the threat of terrorism with enhanced coordination and increased input.

Q: As you mentioned that the international community should step up coordination, does China consider taking an active part in the counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan?

A: China has actively participated in the international cooperation against terrorism and will constantly deepen exchanges and cooperation with relevant countries through bilateral and multilateral channels and mechanisms.

China supports the peaceful reconstruction process of Afghanistan and will as always provide assistance to the Afghan Government as its capacity allows and further expand its friendly cooperation with Afghanistan in various fields. We hope to see an Afghanistan featuring peace, stability, independence, self-reliance, development and good-neighborliness.

Q: You commented on NATO's air strike against Libya and the ensuing death of Gaddafi's son last weekend. Does China regard the air strike as a violation of relevant Resolutions of the UN Security Council?

A: China expresses concern over the escalation of conflicts in Libya and ensuing greater civilian casualties. China always disapproves of any action that goes beyond the authorization of the UN Security Council and hopes relevant parties cease fire as soon as possible so as to resolve the current crisis in Libya through dialogue, negotiation and other political means.

It is the common position of the international community to resolve the Libyan crisis politically. We hope all parties make concerted efforts to ease the situation in Libya as soon as possible.

Q: Would you please update us on Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's visit to Egypt. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt. How do you comment on their current bilateral relations?

A: At the invitation of Egyptian Foreign Minister Elaraby, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Egypt from May 2 to 3. As far as I know, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, held talks with his counterpart Nabil Elaraby and will meet with Egyptian Prime Minister Sharaf.

Foreign Minister Yang said China-Egypt relations boast a solid and profound foundation and are the model of South-South cooperation. As this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt, China will adhere to the established policy of consolidating and strengthening China-Egypt strategic cooperation under new circumstances. Both sides should further deepen political and strategic cooperation, step up their practical cooperation across the board and enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Foreign Minister Yang expressed that the situation in Egypt is undergoing changes. China respects the will and independent choice of the Egyptian people and supports Egypt's positive endeavour in maintaining domestic stability and promoting economic and social development. We believe that Egypt has enough wisdom and capacity to realize a smooth transition of power and usher in a new era of national stability and development.

China hopes Egypt, as a major power in the Arab and African world, continue to play a positive and constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability.

Q: Will China ask Pakistan to hand over the terrorists behind the Bombay bomb attack after the death of Bin Laden?

A: Both India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia. It is in the common interest of both India and Pakistan as well as the whole region to improve relations, enhance cooperation and take joint actions to safeguard regional peace and stability. We have noted and welcome the positive steps taken by both countries for the improvement of their relations. China upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and the Chinese Government will firmly support Pakistan formulating and implementing counter-terrorism strategies in line with its domestic conditions.