Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 21, 2021 |
2021-04-21 20:20 |
CCTV: An army spokesperson said that President Idriss Déby Itno of Chad died in the fight with rebels. What's your comment? Will China send a message of condolences? Do you have any comment on the situation in Chad? Wang Wenbin: President Idriss Déby Itno highly valued relations with China and made positive contributions to promoting friendly cooperation between the two countries. We express deep condolences over his passing and sincere sympathies to the Chadian people and the family of President Déby. China values the friendly and cooperative ties with Chad and hopes that all relevant sides in Chad can work together to safeguard peace and stability in the country. Prasar Bharati: India's Ambassador to China recently has said at an India-China dialogue that there was a tendency to sweep the situation at the border under the carpet and characterize it as just a minor issue. He said, this is 'inadvisable'. In fact, it would be tantamount to running away from the problem and in a direction opposite to that where the promise of our closer development partnership lies. Does the ministry has any response or comment to his statements? Wang Wenbin: China's position on the China-India boundary issue is consistent and clear-cut. We are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the border areas and firmly safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and security. Recently, China and India have maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels. On the basis of realizing disengagement in the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Lake area, the two sides have had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on promoting the settlement of the remaining issues in the west section of the China-India boundary. We hope that the Indian side will work with China to meet each other halfway, bear in mind the overall interests of the long-term development of China-India relations, place the boundary issue at an appropriate position in bilateral relations and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and steady development. Global Times: Joseph Veramu, a consultant on economic policy planning and development for the Fiji government and scholar at Fiji National University recently published a series of opinion articles in the newspaper Fiji Sun, commending the Belt and Road Initiative and rejecting such allegations as "debt trap" and "geopolitical agenda" behind the BRI. This has drawn much attention from Pacific island countries. Do you have any response? Wang Wenbin: I noted relevant articles. The author took stock of the fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation between China and Pacific island countries under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and refuted the groundless accusation and false allegation. He said that the BRI is of important significance to Pacific island countries' economic development, improvement of livelihood, regional integration and integration into economic globalization. China has signed MOU on BRI cooperation with all of the ten Pacific island countries having diplomatic relations with it. Facts have proved that the BRI is an international public good that meets the practical need of and is truly welcomed by the Pacific island countries, rather than something wishfully imposed by China. The BRI is an open and inclusive initiative for economic cooperation rather than an exclusive geopolitical tool. The BRI is about tangible and practical cooperation projects rather than being white elephant or empty promises. The BRI is about projects that benefit the locals, rather than a "debt trap". As President Xi Jinping pointed out in his keynote speech at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 yesterday, "the BRI is a public road open to all, not a private path owned by one single party. Belt and Road cooperation pursues development, aims at mutual benefits, and conveys a message of hope." China will continue to practice the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, achieve high-quality BRI development with other parties including Pacific island countries and build the BRI into a pathway to poverty alleviation and growth. South China Morning Post: Director-General of the WHO Tedros said that the assessment of the conclusion that "lab leak is highly unlikely" in the joint study report is not enough, which needs further study, and the WHO is planning to send experts in relevant fields to China. An unnamed expert from the joint panel told a Hubei media outlet that he was "surprised and dissatisfied" with the Director-General's remarks. What is China's comment on that? Wang Wenbin: On March 30, the WHO released the origin-tracing study report of the China-WHO joint mission, drawing a clear conclusion that lab leak is extremely unlikely. The report was co-authored by more than 30 top global experts in various fields. It is widely representative and highly professional. The joint mission has been conducting its research and writing the report independently, following WHO procedures and adopting a science-based approach, thus the report is authoritative and scientific. I would like to stress that China has been conducting joint origin-tracing study with the WHO at the request of the latter. A number of international experts have stated on various occasions that "lab leak is extremely unlikely" and that there is no such thing as difficulty in obtaining raw data. All parties should respect science and the opinions and conclusions of scientists. This is where the WHO, in particular, should play a leading role. Yonhap News Agency: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga donated ritual offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine on April 21. What's the ministry's comment on this? Wang Wenbin: The Yasukuni Shrine honors the World War II Class-A war criminals who were directly responsible for Japan's war of aggression. We have all along been firmly opposed to the wrong practices of Japanese politicians. China urges Japan to observe the principles set out in the four political documents between China and Japan, earnestly follow through on the four-point principled consensus, face up to and deeply repent its history of aggression, make a clean break with militarism, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community with concrete actions. FSN: President Xi will be attending the US-led climate change summit starting on Thursday. Do you have any comment on whether or not this is a sign of Beijing and Washington cooperating with one another on climate change and possibly on other matters as well? Wang Wenbin: China has released information on President Xi Jinping's participation in the leaders summit. At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, President Xi Jinping will attend and deliver an important speech at the Leaders Summit on Climate in Beijing on April 22 via video link. China hopes this summit can serve as a platform to facilitate exchanges on the global fight against the challenge of climate change, on promoting the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and on jointly advancing global climate and environment governance. Prasar Bharati: You just said that India and China should keep the relations in a proper perspective, but that is what the Indian ambassador has advised against. He said that it is inadvisable. So can you elaborate a little bit on the difference of perceptions between both countries on the relations? Wang Wenbin: I stated China's position just now. I'd like to repeat that we hope that the Indian side will work with China to meet each other halfway, bear in mind the overall interests of the long-term development of China-India relations, cherish the hard-won deescalation of the situation in the border areas, uphold peace and tranquility in the border areas with concrete act |