(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-28 22:37

In the talks that also covered Darfur, the Iranian nuclear issue and dialogue between developed and developing countries, the two ministers decided to hold bilateral high-level African talks later in the year.

In response to questions of democracy in China, Yang said people in China enjoyed extensive freedom of speech.

"No one will get arrested because he has said human rights were more important than the Olympic Games. This is impossible," he said.

He said China, like many other countries, needed to further improve human rights and conduct dialogues with other countries on the issue on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Yang stressed Beijing's constructive role in Darfur, highlighting its quick dispatch of peacekeepers and development assistance to Sudan, and the appointment of a special representative on Darfur.

But he warned outsiders had limited influence with the government there.

"Of course, Darfur in essence is a Sudan issue and an African issue. Neither China nor Britain is a direct partner so we should respect the views of other partners," Yang said.

Beijing was Miliband's last leg of his first official visit to China starting on February 24 from Hong Kong. He met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday afternoon, and will deliver a speech at prestigious Peking University on Friday.

His six-day China trip also took him to Shanghai, a financial hub in the east and Chongqing, a city in southwest China.

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