Chinese Premier Li Peng expressed displeasure Wednesday with Japan's vagueness over how Taiwan will be treated under the newly revised Japan-U.S. defense cooperation scheme.

"We hope that the Japanese government makes the matter clear," Li told Takako Doi, leader of the Social Democratic Party, during their meeting. Li also met with Naoto Kan, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, and Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Shinshinto.

Li said China would not be concerned about the revised security arrangement, announced in late September, if it were clearly stated that the guideline would stay within the framework of Japan's Constitution and not cover the Taiwan Strait. Doi's SDP, one of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's two Diet allies, takes a considerably different stance on security-related matters compared with the LDP. The SDP, which has had historically close ties with the Chinese Communist Party, has demanded the government clarify that the Taiwan Strait will not be included in the scope of Japan-U.S. security cooperation.

Concerning the Korean Peninsula, Li stressed the importance of resuming four-member talks among China, the U.S., South Korea and North Korea. Despite relatively close relations between China and North Korea, Li added that China has not obtained enough information to determine whether the widely reported famine in North Korea is serious.

Li's talks with Kan focused on global warming issues, as preparations for the Third Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP3, get under way. The 10-day international conference is scheduled to start Dec. 1 in Kyoto. Li stressed that it is natural for developing nations, including China, to have more lenient reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking at a welcoming reception hosted by seven cultural and economic organizations promoting exchange between Japan and China, Li said, "Our goal is basically to realize the modernization by the middle of the next century. For this purpose, we need a peaceful international environment over the long term. China puts importance on developing friendly relations with neighboring counties."