After 36 hours as international hostages, the seven Chinese nationals abducted in Iraq were released and handed over to Chinese diplomats early Tuesday morning, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a news briefing.
Two of the seven hostages were injured in a traffic accident while the rest are in good condition, Kong said Tuesday. The group will be sent back home, according to the Chinese diplomatic team in Iraq now working to re-establish the Chinese Embassy in Baghdad.
The Iraqi kidnappers agreed to hand over the Chinese to the local Association of Islamic Clerics at the urging of the religious group, a sheikh with the association said.
During their custody, the Chinese said they suffered no torture or inhumane treatment, Kong indicated.
"There were no negotiations held nor was any ransom paid during the recovery," said Kong.
He refuted accusations that the Chinese workers were illegal migrants entering the country through the work of so-called "snakehead" human smugglers, saying they all had entered Iraq through "normal procedures."
Meanwhile, he also warned that Chinese citizens should adopt a cautious attitude when deciding to travel to Iraq since the situation there is "very worrying."
Kong expressed sympathy to foreign citizens kidnapped in Iraq, hoping all the hostages will be set free soon.
More than 60 foreigners, including Americans, Italians, Japanese and Britons, were kidnapped during the past week.
After hearing of the abduction news on Monday night, Chinese diplomats in Iraq, Jordan and Syria worked around the clock to save the hostages, Kong said.
He expressed deep gratitude for the assistance of Iraqi people from all walks of life.
Chinese diplomats also contacted officials of the interim Iraqi governing body.
The spokesman stressed the overall Iraqi issue should be resolved within the framework of the United Nations.
China, one of the five permanent members on the UN Security Council, opposes the military invasion of Iraq and has refused to join the US-led coalition that occupies the war-ravaged country.
The seven Chinese workers were abducted Sunday morning on a highway that extends from northern city of Mosul to Falluja, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad. The men were traveling to Baghdad via Jordan.
The seven are from east China's Fujian Province and left China several days ago.
Turning to Cheney's
Beijing visit, the spokesman said "extensive topics" will be discussed between Chinese and US leaders.
Kong said that Cheney's visit, the first since he assumed the US vice presidency, constituted an important component part of the high-level visits between China and the United States in recent years.
The leaders of both countries will avail themselves of the opportunity to have an extensive, in-depth exchange of views on all issues of common concern, including those on which the two countries have differences and disagreements, such as the Taiwan issue.
Kong reiterated that the Taiwan issue remained "the most sensitive and essential" problem in Sino-US relations. "China will reaffirm its stance on Taiwan and others issues," he said.
The Iraqi issue could, among others, also be on the table for talks.
"Chinese leaders will once again restate China's stance on the Iraqi issue -- to properly resolve the issue within the framework of the United Nations," he said.
According to Kong, China and the United States could also discuss the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue and the start-up of its working group.
China holds that the start-up of the working group is one of the consensus reached by all the six parties during the second round of the talks, he said, and such a move is "a must" to continue the peaceful talks on the issue.
China has kept close contacts with the other five parties, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, and proposed its own conceptual document, which has gained the consensus in principle of the rest, he said.
All sides hold different views and opinions on the topics and operation of the working group, Kong acknowledged, adding that China will make further efforts for gearing up the working group at an early date.
Vice President Cheney arrived in
Beijing Tuesday afternoon, kicking off his three-day working visit to China.
Beijing is the first leg of Cheney's China tour and he is also expected to travel to
Shanghai after his stay in Beijing.
When asked to comment on the intellectual property rights (IPR) issue between China and the United States, Kong said that both sides should properly handle the issue and in effect, Sino-US cooperation in IPR protection has witnessed continuous development in recent years.
China has explained its efforts in this field to the US side many times, he said.
On March 31, US Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans also spoke positively on China's efforts in IPR protection including in the fields of making and executing relevant laws.
China attached great importance to IPR protection, as it is a demand of China's economic development and scientific technological advancement, Kong said. China has made substantial efforts in this field, and will continue its efforts, not for others but for its own benefit.
He went on to say that China also admitted certain problems still exist in its IPR protection, which are related to a host of factors including the development level of industry, the law awareness of the Chinese citizens and companies, the competency of judiciary and administrative officials, and economic strength.
Even the very developed nations and industrial countries of the present world have problems in IPR protection, Kong noted. China hopes to enhance cooperation in IPR protection with all countries, including the United States, so as to further increase consensus and make joint efforts to upgrade the level of IPR protection.
The IPR protection issue will also be mentioned during Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi's imminent visit to the United States, he said. And the two sides will hold in-depth discussions over the issue.
Also at yesterday's briefing, the spokesman announced that Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi will visit the United States from April 19 to 25 to co-host the 15th meeting of the Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade with US Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans, and Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick; Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will pay an official visit to China from April 19 to 25, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao; and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-nahayan of the United Arab Emirates will pay an official visit to China from April 19 to 22, at the invitation of the Chinese government.
