【亞洲文明對話大會】

亞對會Mike Honda, a former member of the US House of Representatives, who as the chief sponsor of a July 2007 House resolution urged Japan to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the sexual exploitation of "comfort women," joined elected officials at the event to greet Lee and denounce those who deny history

亞對會Winston Peters, the party chief of the New Zealand First Party, however, refused to say which party he would side with亞對會8 percent votes or seven seats in the congress would just make enough seats to form a government if they can successfully get the New Zealand First Party on board

亞對會The New Zealand First Party has garnered nine seats, making it the indispensable coalition partner for both the National Party and the Labor Party to form the government亞對會The ruling National Party has secured 46 percent of the party votes, which transfer to 58 seats in the 120 member Congress in an Mixed-Member Proportional voting system, with the opposition Labor Party lagging behind at 35亞對會BEIJING - China on Friday urged all relevant parties to avoid any action that may increase tension on the Korean Peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it might test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean亞對會"Only if all sides bear their due responsibilities, can the peninsula nuclear issue be truly resolved and peace and stability restored to the region亞對會"The DPRK knows well that China opposes its development of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests, Lu said

亞對會"What parties concerned should do now is to strictly and comprehensively implement UN Security Council resolutions and make positive efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue亞對會"The current situation on the peninsula is severe and complicated," Foreign Minister spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing亞對會To see that happening and to be a part of it in my own little way is very special

亞對會In terms of challenges in the field of science, environmental damage and sustainability would be core issues亞對會What three words would you use to describe China? Unified, together, vision亞對會China needs to expand its reputation and abilities in these areas亞對會"I'm very happy to work on the advancement of science in China

Coming up with better, cleaner methods for creating chemical reactions when generating power is going to be importantHe showed interest in the recommendations and comments that were put together by the foreign experts and even described how the recommendations would be looked at by the appropriate committees

President Xi came across as someone who cares for his people, his country, and the worldThat just shows how accepted we have been here in ChinaBut what I have found disturbing is that this happens rarely today, as everyone is glued to their phonesShe was recently on the stage making the pledge to the Party on behalf of all the students who were receiving honglingjin (the red scarves worn by Chinese Young Pioneers)

But all that is changing for the better due to efforts from the Shanghai governmentPeople moving together as one and with a vision is a great strength to have indeedWhen we arrived from Sydney a few weeks ago and got into a taxi, the driver was talking to us for an hour and a halfWhat do you feel has been China's biggest achievement in recent years? I read a report that about 95 million people were taken out of poverty in China over the past decade, and that's a really significant achievement that reflects 40 years of amazing achievements in China

China needs to teach other countries how to do thisThe document was struck by China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan during the fourth round of the six-party talks

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks at a routine press briefing, saying China is open to all efforts that are conducive to solving the issue peacefully via political and diplomatic meansIn return, the United States promised not to use nuclear weapons or conventional weapons to attack or invade the DPRK

In the statement, the DPRK reaffirmed its commitment to abandoning nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs"We believe if the parties concerned can adhere to those consensus, abide by the spirit of the joint statement and seek ways to address the reasonable concerns of concerned parties, we will find a way out," said the spokespersonLu said the parties concerned should learn from experience in reaching the agreement, which includes holding that the core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is over security issues, the key lies with the United States and the DPRK, and concerns of all parties should be resolved in a balanced wayBEIJING -- China said Tuesday that the six-party talks are still an efficient platform to address the Korean Peninsula nuclear issueLaunched in 2003, the six-party talks were suspended in December 2008Lu said the joint statement, signed on Sept 19, 2005, is the most important progress in addressing the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through negotiations, and is of milestone significance

China also proposed a dual-track approach to denuclearization on the peninsula on the one hand and establishing a peace mechanism on the otherChina has put forward the "double suspension" proposal, which requires the DPRK to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale US-ROK military drills

The DPRK walked out of the talks in April 2009 in protest against UN sanctionsAbe, who also heads the LDP, is set to provisionally dissolve the lower chamber of Japan's bicameral system of parliament on Sept 28, as this is when the extraordinary Diet session will be convened, according to LDP sources close to the matter

However, the prime minister has the authority to dissolve the lower chamber and call a general election at willThis scenario would see official campaigning for the national poll kick off on Oct 10, with voters thereafter casting their ballots on Oct 22

A lower house election must be held by December 2018 as this is when the four-year terms of current lower house lawmakers expireIf Abe goes ahead with his plan to call a snap election, then three by-elections that have been slated to take place on Oct 22 would be replaced by the general electionThe opposition camp, however, has criticized Abe's move to call a snap election, with some accusing him of merely trying to escape from the influence-peddling scandals he is currently implicated in and engineering his stay in power"Nikai on Tuesday, during a meeting of ruling LDP executives reportedly conveyed Abe's intentions and relayed the party's determination to get all of its candidates fielded in the race

Prior to Abe's departure Monday for a five-day trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Abe told Nikai during a meeting that he "will decide on the timing of the snap election after returning from the UN General Assembly on FridayAbe last dissolved the lower house of parliament in November 2014 and thereafter led the ruling coalition to a sweeping victory in the following election in December

In addition, the fact that new opposition parties in the process of being formed will not have time to organize themselves and mount a serious challenge to Abe and the LDP in such a short space of time, has made many political watchers question Abe's regard for democracy and the will of the peopleTOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is gearing up to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap general election, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai confirmed on Tuesday

The support rate for Abe's cabinet has improved moderately recently, and the opposition camp has accused the prime minister of taking advantage of this and have slammed the possible general election as being unnecessary and serving Abe's personal, not political objectivesThe application for UNESCO heritage status submitted by more than 10 groups from China, the Republic of Korea and other countries and regions will "allow the world to fully understand the brutality of the war of agrression, remember history, cherish peace and defend human dignity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefing

BEIJING -- Japan should act correctly towards an application for records of comfort women to be listed as UNESCO heritage, instead of threatening not to pay its UNESCO membership fees, a Chinese spokesperson said MondayIf the submitted documents are approved for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register next month, domestic pressure for Japan to cancel payment of its UNESCO membership fees will grow, according to Japanese media"The members of international organizations are obliged to pay their membership fees on time and in fullChina demands Japan reflect on its history of aggression, and take a correct attitude towards and do not smear or meddle with the application," Lu said

The move serves the purposes of the UNESCO, he saidForceful recruitment of comfort women, or sex slaves, was a grave crime committed by the Japanese militarism during WWII

There is solid evidence and no room for denying that, Lu saidHe said that Japan should handle the issue properly and in a responsible way to gain trust from its Asian neighbors and the international community

People from the DPRK and the ROK belong to the same ethnic group, and China has always supported the two countries in strengthening exchanges, improving ties and promoting reconciliation, he saidLu's comment came after ROK President Moon Jae-in suggested that his country could go ahead with humanitarian aid to the DPRK "regardless of political situations," despite Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's request for consideration of the timing of the proposed aid