Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 14, 2020 |
2020-08-14 21:36 |
AFP: On August 13, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the US issued a joint statement announcing the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel. Israel will stop annexation of Palestinian lands. What is China's position on this issue? Zhao Lijian: China has noted relevant reports, including those saying that Israel will stop annexing part of Palestinian territories and is committed to reaching a comprehensive, fair and enduring solution to the Palestinian issue. China welcomes measures that will help alleviate tension between countries in the Middle East and promote regional peace and stability. We hope that relevant parties will take concrete actions to get the Palestinian issue back on the track of equal-footed dialogues. China's position on the Palestinian issue is consistent and clear. We will continue to firmly support and play an active and constructive role in the Palestinian people's just cause to regain their lawful national rights and build an independent state. Al Jazeera: Arab States have long been supportive of the Palestinian cause. They proposed many peace deals. China has been fighting for the just cause of the Palestinian people on the international stage. Is China concerned that the UAE's move this time will affect the implementation of relevant peace deals? Does China believe that the UAE's move will hurt the interests of the Palestinian people? Zhao Lijian: I just made clear China's position. China's position on the Palestinian issue is consistent and clear. We will continue to firmly support the Palestinian people's just cause to regain their lawful national rights and build an independent state. We support the efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East and promote regional peace and stability. We will continue playing an active and constructive role in this. Reuters: The United States said on August 13 it was requiring the Confucius Institute US Center to register as a foreign mission. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement said the CIUS was an entity advancing Beijing's political propaganda. What's the ministry's comment on this? Zhao Lijian: The Confucius Institute US Center (CIUS Center) has issued a statement in response. I want to stress that the US move is demonizing and stigmatizing the normal operation of a cooperation project between China and the US. We deplore and firmly oppose that. The Confucius Institutes have long served as a bridge and bond between China and other countries in education and cultural communication and exchange, which enables people in other countries to learn the Chinese language and understand China. All the Confucius Institutes in the US are jointly established in American universities based on their voluntary application and in line with the principle of mutual respect, friendly consultation, equality and mutual benefit by the Chinese and American universities. The operation and management of the Confucius Institutes is open and transparent in strict compliance with local law and regulations of these universities. Their contributions to the cultural and people-to-people exchange between China and the US have been widely applauded by the universities and others in the US. I must point out that for some time certain people in the US, driven by ideological prejudice and selfish gains, have been grossly and unscrupulously disrupting and obstructing China-US cooperation projects, including the operation of the Confucius Institutes. This is just unacceptable. We also noted that Pompeo cited a lot of baseless reports in his statement, which reveals his intention to oppress the Confucius Institutes under unfounded pretexts. We urge the US to discard the cold-war mentality and zero sum game mindset and immediately correct its mistake. It should stop politicizing relevant education exchange projects, disrupting normal cultural and people-to-people exchange between China and the US and eroding mutual trust and cooperation between the two sides. We reserve the right to make further reactions. CCTV: According to media reports, visiting US Secretary of State Pompeo signed with the Slovenian foreign minister a joint declaration on 5G security. Pompeo said on Twitter that this reflects "our common dedication to protecting privacy and the individual liberties of citizens". Earlier he also talked about joint efforts to build a clean network in the Czech Republic. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: Now that the so-called "Clean Network" seems to be Pompeo's pet phrase, perhaps he should explain to us, why is it that the shadowy figure of the US can be found in cyber espionage activities from PRISM to Equation Group to ECHELON? Why is it that American intelligence authorities run a 24/7 surveillance of cell phones and computers all over the world, even eavesdropping on leaders of US allies for over a decade? This is apparently the modus operandi of a hacker state. It is just preposterous that as the secretary of state of a country with cyber theft stains all over it, Pompeo should have the audacity to propose the building of a "Clean Network". The US claim of "protecting privacy and the individual liberties of citizens" is nothing but a high-sounding pretext. If those in the US think they can fool the world with this, then they must have gravely underestimated people's insight. From meddling in other countries' 5G rollout to openly coercing allies into excluding Huawei, certain US politicians have no scruples resorting to state power as long as it can stop Chinese businesses from getting an edge in 5G. I'm afraid what they have in mind is not a "Clean Network", but an "American Network"; not a "secure 5G network", but a "US surveillance network"; not protection of "privacy and liberties" of the individual, but consolidation of "digital hegemony" of the US. In an era of globalization, 5G development should follow the concept of international consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Politicizing relevant issues or creating cliques won't be conducive to 5G progress. Such practices run counter to the fair competition principle and go against the common interests of the international community. We believe the world can see certain US politicians for who they really are, reject US hegemonic interference in other countries' 5G cooperation, and uphold a fair, just, open and non-discriminatory business environment. New York Times: Some say the statement made by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States has the potential to increase the tension between the UAE and Iran. Does China plan to moderate or try to moderate between the UAE and Iran, given that China is one of the few countries that are friends with both of them? Zhao Lijian: I have made clear China's position. China attaches high importance to peace |