Hong Kong stocks close mixed Thursday

Hong Kong's stock market ended mixed Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up 0.20 percent to close at 25,858.88 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.25 percent to end at 8,644.71 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index decreased by 1.25 percent to end at 4,803.77 points.

China urged Japan to accelerate the process of abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) destruction and give back to the Chinese people their clean homeland, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday.

Thursday marks the 27th anniversary of the signing of the MoU between the governments of the People's Republic of China and Japan on the destruction of the chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China.

"Japan's abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) are one of the serious crimes committed by Japanese militarists during their war of aggression against China. To this day, the ACWs continue to pose a serious threat to the Chinese people's lives and property and the ecological environment of China. Complete destruction of these weapons is Japan's unshirkable historical, political and legal responsibility," said Mao at a press briefing.

"Japan should have strictly abided by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the relevant MoUs between the governments of China and Japan, and completed the destruction of ACWs by 2007. However, Japan lacks commitment and investment in fulfilling its obligations and has missed the deadline for the relevant destruction plan four times. The process has been seriously delayed, and the safety risks posed by these weapons continue to exist," Mao said.

"China strongly urges Japan to fully fulfill its obligation in accordance with the provisions of the CWC and the MoUs between the two governments regarding this issue, provide effective clues on burial sites, and accelerate the disposing process, so as to remove the hazardous Japanese ACWs as soon as possible and give back to the Chinese people their clean homeland," she said.