Extracts. President Jiang Held Phone Talks with Blair, Chirac and Putin Chinese President Jiang Zemin held respective phone talks with French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday night on the international situation following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11. Talk with French President Jacques Chirac Chirac said European countries have expressed support to the United States after the attacks. He said all efforts should be made to combat terrorism. The French president stressed that under current circumstances, it is necessary to restart the Middle East peace process as soon as possible and urge both Palestine and Israel to return to the negotiating table. Jiang expressed appreciation for Chirac's views and expounded the principled stance of the Chinese Government that it is always opposed to all kinds of terrorism. He stressed the necessity and urgency for international collaboration on the issue of combating terrorism. Jiang said that under current circumstances, keeping sober-minded is especially needed and prudence should be exercised in handling relevant issues. All action should be conducive to the long-term interests of world peace and development, he said. Jiang said that China will, as always, support the Middle East peace process, and hopes that all people in Middle East countries can live in peace. The two leaders agreed that both China and France will continue to maintain close consultations and cooperation on major issues concerning world peace and stability. Talk with British PM Chinese President Jiang Zemin and British Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday exchanged views over the phone on the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. Blair said many British people lost their lives in the terrorist attacks and under the current circumstances, it is very necessary for leaders of Britain and China to have a direct exchange of views. He briefed Jiang on the views of the British side on the issue. Jiang said many British people were killed or injured in the terrorist attacks, while some Chinese citizens were also killed, injured or missing. They were all victims of the terrorists, he said. China strongly condemns this horrible act of terrorism, Jiang said. The Chinese people stand side by side with the American and British people as well as the international community on the issue of anti-terrorism. Terrorism has become a prominent threat to the world's peace and stability and a grave common scourge of the international community, Jiang said. The Chinese government is firmly opposed to any kind of international terrorism, he said, adding that global collaboration is very necessary and pressing in combating terrorism. Jiang stressed that any military action against terrorism should be taken with irrefutable evidence and should aim at clear targets so as to avoid casualties to innocent people. He also said any military action must comply with the objectives and principles of the UN. Charter as well as widely- recognized norms in international laws. It is necessary for the UN Security Council to play its due role, and all actions should help maintain the long-term interests of world peace and development, he said. Talk with Russian President Jiang thanked the Russian President for the warm hospitality Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji received from the Russian side when he visited Russia recently. On the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, Jiang reiterated China's principled stance that the Chinese Government is firmly opposed to any form of terrorism. He stressed that in dealing with the issue, it is necessary to take note of both the direct result of the incident and its deep impact on the regional situation, and furthermore, the long-term interests of world peace and development should be taken into consideration. Jiang said China is willing to strengthen and deepen the anti- terrorism cooperation with the international community. China holds that the role of the United Nations Security Council should be fully exerted and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council should increase consultations. China and Russia have common stance on and common interests in combating terrorism, and the two countries should keep in contact and exchange views in accordance with the spirit of the Sino- Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, Jiang said. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization should implement relevant conventions as soon as possible so as to safeguard peace, security and stability of the region more effectively, Jiang said. Putin thanked Jiang for his remarks and expressed that it is of great importance and urgency that Russia and China increase cooperation under the current tense international circumstances. He agreed with Jiang on that it is necessary to perfect all kinds of international anti-terrorism mechanism as quickly as possible. Putin stressed that in handling relevant issues of the region, the interests of all countries and people in the region should be considered and respected, and the peace and stability of the region should be maintained. Both the two leaders agreed on keeping close contacts, consultations and cooperation on major issues concerning world and regional peace and stability. **** "September 18 Incident", a Historical Fact Not to be Distorted. The "September 18 Incident" is a long premeditated invasion of China staged by Japanese Imperialist forces, a prelude of the occupation of the northeast China and a provocation of an all-round aggressive war against China. This is an undeniable historical fact which has been written into the history of mankind and is not allowed to be distorted, according to Yan Zheng, a historian present at an "International Forum Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the 'September 18 Incident'" held in Beijing on September 16. Historians pointed out that the history textbook compiled by Japanese rightists contains serious falsehoods, such as its attempts to deny the September 18 Incident as "only blasted part of the 'Nanman' (Changchun-Lushun) Railway" and whitewash Japan's invasion of northeast China as "entering into northeast China". The despicable fabrication of Japanese rightists can only make us never to forget the true history. With sufficient historical facts, historians pointed out that Japanese troops committed towering crimes in its 14-year occupation of the northeast China since September 18, 1931. The 14-year crimes, recorded in human history, are indelible by any lies and fallacies. Any attempt by the Japanese government and rightists to deny and distort the history of the Japanese invasion will only help rouse opposition to them from among the countries and people who love peace. Historians emphasized that to develop Sino-Japanese friendly ties is the constant wish of the Chinese people, however, it depends on how the Japanese government looks at its past history of aggression. Only to face it squarely but not deny and whitewash the history can the Japanese government get the initial faith of the Asian people and establish friendly relations with them. ***** President Jiang's Speech on Poverty Alleviation Published. Xinhua News Agency published Monday the full text of a speech by Chinese President Jiang Zemin at a central working conference on poverty alleviation on May 25. In his speech, the president, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, hailed the nation's achievements in its poverty-relief efforts over the last two decades and summarized China's experiences in the field. Jiang pointed out that over the last two decades, China has reduced its poor population in rural areas by 220 million, and the proportion of impoverished people to the total rural population decreased from 30.7 percent to about three percent. He stressed that China's success in poverty relief is an important embodiment of the advantages of the socialist system and proof of the great importance attached by the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China to promoting the development of human rights, especially the rights of subsistence and development. Such success has also contributed greatly to the sustainable development of the economy, and to the maintenance of ethnic harmony and unity, safety of the border and social stability, Jiang said. On the other hand, Jiang noted that there are still 30 million people living under the poverty line in rural areas. To bring them out of poverty will be an arduous task. He stressed that for future poverty relief programs to succeed, China must advance its reforms even further, uphold the spirit of hard work and diligence, explore new means of development that fit local conditions, and mobilize the whole of society in the cause. China's relatively more developed eastern regions shall continue to give support to the development of the western regions in the form of partnership between them, Jiang said. He emphasized that in poverty relief programs, priority must be given to minority ethnic areas, border areas and extremely poor areas. **** Chinese Foreign Minister Leaves for US Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan left here Tuesday afternoon for the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> at the invitation of the US side. This is a return visit following the visit to China by US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the end of July. During his US visit, Tang is scheduled to exchange views with Powell and other US leaders on Sino-US relations, and on international and regional issues of common concern. **** Wall Street Stocks End Lower. Wall Street stocks ended lower Tuesday following the steep losses on Monday, as investors were still cautious about the economy and corporate earnings outlook after the markets closed for four sessions last week because of the terrorist attacks on America. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 17.30 points, or 0.19 percent, to 8,903.40, the lowest close in nearly three years. The index tumbled 684.81 points on Monday, the largest fall in its history. Broader stock indicators were down. The technology heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 24.47 points, or 1.55 percent, to 1,555.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was off 6.03 points, or 0.58 percent, to 1,032.74. The markets rallied in morning session amid investors' buying, which sent the Dow index rising more than 100 points above the 9, 000 resistance level early afternoon, after the Dow plunged 684.81 points, the largest fall in its history, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 115.82 points, sending U.S. stocks into a bear market on Monday. However, investors still worried about the economy and corporate earnings as airline and insurance companies, which plummeted on Monday, face possible bankruptcies in the wake of the attacks. The insurance and financial companies fell further, with American International Group declining 95 cents to 70.05 dollars, and American Express dropping 2.87 dollars to 27.38 dollars after it issued a third-quarter warning. But airlines rebounded in hope for the government's support after tumbling on Monday. AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, rose 2 dollars to 20 dollars, and UAL Corp., the parent of United Airlines, advanced 1.49 dollars to 18.99 dollars. The NYSE index closed down 3.62 points at 538.37, the American Stock Exchange index lost 15.36 points to 837.52, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies slipped 6.01 points to 411.66. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 8-to-5 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,224 up, 1,936 down and 181 unchanged. NYSE volume declined to 1.67 billion shares from 2.36 billion in the previous session. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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