On the afternoon of January 20, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei held a regular press conference.

Q: The Indian police detained three Chinese nationals yesterday on charges of money-laundering and spying. Has China made representations to the Indian side?

A: Relevant report is not true. As far as I know at this stage, three Chinese tourists crossed into Indian territory by mistake while traveling along the Nepal-India border and were held in custody by the Indian police. The Chinese Embassy in India is obtaining further information from the Indian police and urging the Indian side to properly handle the matter.

Q: What were the major topics that came up during the meeting between the Presidents of China and the US? Has the US made a satisfactory response to China's concerns?

A: President Hu Jintao had a successful meeting with President Obama. The two sides agreed to work together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit in accord with the trend of the times. The two leaders mapped out in a comprehensive way the major direction for China-US relations for the time to come and key areas to deepen bilateral cooperation, reaching important consensus and producing fruitful results.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive China-US relationship for the 21st century, which serves the interests of the Chinese and American peoples and of the global community. The two sides reaffirmed that the three Joint Communiqués issued by China and the United States laid the political foundation for the relationship and will continue to guide the development of China-US relations. The two sides reaffirmed respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Presidents further reaffirmed their commitment to the November 2009 China-US Joint Statement.

Just now I said China and the United States committed to work together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, which is the new positioning of China-US relations decided by the two leaders. This positioning will promote the common interests of both countries and address the 21st century's opportunities and challenges. The two leaders agreed that broader and deeper collaboration with international partners and institutions is required to develop and implement sustainable solutions and to promote peace, stability, prosperity, and the well-being of peoples throughout the world.

On the Taiwan issue, both sides underscored the importance of the Taiwan issue in China-US relations. The Chinese side emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and expressed the hope that the US side will honor its relevant commitments and appreciate and support the Chinese side's position on this issue. The US side stated that the United States follows its one China policy and abides by the principles of the three China-US Joint Communiqués.

In general, the two sides reached important consensus on strengthening China-US relations, promoting high-level exchanges, addressing regional and global challenges, building a comprehensive and mutually beneficial economic partnership, cooperating on climate change, energy and the environment, and expanding people-to-people exchanges. This fruitful visit will undoubtedly give a strong boost to the long-term, healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

Q: The two sides discussed the human rights issue during President Hu Jintao's visit to the US. How do you comment?

A: China and the United States are committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, even as they continue to have significant differences on these issues. The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the protection and promotion of human rights. China's reform and opening-up process is one of continuous development in its human rights cause, and China's achievements in this area are recognized globally. Just as the US is improving its human rights, China is continuously improving its human rights as well, a cause of endless efforts.

Q: Please brief us on the 12th China-Japan Security Dialogue held this morning.

A: The 12th China-Japan Security Dialogue was held this morning in Beijing. Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue and Japan's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Bessho Koro attended the dialogue along with officials from diplomatic and defence departments on both sides. The two sides exchanged views on respective defence policies as well as international and regional security situation. Detailed information will be released in due course.