China will not supply nuclear weapons to any South Asian country

China on Friday categorically denied that it has supplied M-11 missiles or any other nuclear delivery system to Pakistan.

Briefing newspersons on Chinese President Jiang Zemin's talks with Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Shen Guofang, the Chinese government spokesman, said China will not supply nuclear delivery systems to any country in South Asia that will affect India or any country in the region.

He, however, admitted that China and Pakistan have nuclear co-operation for peaceful purposes.

Guofang said Western countries were mainly responsible for transfer of nuclear delivery system to other countries.

China, he said, wanted India and Pakistan to find a solution to their outstanding problems through dialogue and discussions.''We want good neighbourly relations between the two countries,'' he said.

Deve Gowda and Jiang, he said, held discussions on a plethora of issues, including Tibet, expansion of bilateral relations in economic and commercial areas, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and other important issues.

Jiang, he said, appreciated India's stand that Tibet is an autonomous region. India has also assured the Chinese president that it would not allow any anti-Chinese activities on this issue.

Referring to the dispute on Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the spokesman said: ''Differences persist between the two countries on the question of Sikkim.'' However, he added that China had adopted a flexible attitude on this matter. He felt the two sides should not try to achieve any settlement on this issue in haste.

UNI