China said Tuesday it was willing to carry out an internal investigation following US allegations that Chinese technicians helped Iraq upgrade its air defenses, reported AFP.
"Regarding the situation raised by the US side, the Chinese side can carry out investigations," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, told reporters during a regular news briefing.
She was responding to questions about President George W. Bush's statement on Friday that China had said it would "remedy the situation" if it found Washington's complaints were justified, according to the agency.
The spokeswoman declined to elaborate on what China would do, but said China has always forbidden its enterprises and individuals from any activities that violate UN resolutions, AFP added.
"The Chinese government has clear regulations which ban Chinese enterprises and individuals carrying out any activities that violate the UN resolutions against Iraq," Zhang said.
US officials said last week that the recent bombing of Iraqi air defense targets had been carried out on Friday specifically to avoid endangering Chinese technicians.
US ambassador to China Joseph W. Prueher met Friday with Wang Guangya, China's vice foreign minister to deliver a formal protest that China is providing fiber-optic cables to Iraq in violation of United Nations sanctions, said the Washington Post newspaper.
Iraq strongly denied the US allegations.
After talks with French officials in Paris last week, Iraq’s deputy foreign minister, Nizar Hamdoon, rubbished US claims that Chinese experts had helped Iraq put in place a fiber-optic network.
"There are no Chinese experts in Iraq; everyone knows that. I formally deny this type of assertion," he declared – Albawaba.com
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