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http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19990113_feat3.html
China Denies Arming DRC
January 13, 1999
By Kelvin Shimo
Lusaka - Chinese foreign affairs minister Tang Jiaxuan yesterday dismissed
claims that his country was supplying arms to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
President Laurent Kabila's war efforts against the Rwanda/Uganda backed rebels.
Jiaxuan, briefing the press on arrival at Lusaka International Airport, explained that China has a policy of selling arms to legitimate governments for national defence but none had been sold to DRC.
He said strict guidelines are adhered to by his government to ensure that they are received by the intended party.
"As foreign minister I am not aware that China is selling arms to Congo but have read press reports that China, Libya and France are supplying arms to Kabila," he said.
The Chinese minister hoped that the Congo war summit scheduled for this week will be a success this time around.
Zambia is the last country Jiaxuan is visiting on his five nation tour of Africa. He has already visited Egypt and east African countries. He will be in Zambia for two days in which he will holds bilateral talks with the Zambian government officials on diverse issues.
"This is a reciprocal visit to the one your Minister of Foreign Affairs made to my country last year," Jiaxuan said.
He said the steadfast support his country has rendered to Africa was due to the fact that China is also a developing nation which wants other developing nations to be heard on the international arena as a common front.
Jiaxuan said the one China policy that many Africans nations espouse has drawn his country to the African continent.
Speaking earlier Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Keli Walubita, said they will use this opportunity to consult China on their views about the Congo conflict.
Walubita said Zambia has already consolidated its political ties with China and the emphasis now will be economic relations. Walubita reiterated Zambia's call for the unification of Taiwan with mainland China.
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