According to work arrangement, Mr. Yue Xiaoyong is appointed as the new Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will take over the work of his predecessor Mr. Liu Jian. Mr. Liu Jian has successfully accomplished his mission as the special envoy and we would like to thank all relevant partners for their strong support. Special Envoy Yue is a senior diplomat, who has long been engaged in diplomatic practice and policy research and used to serve as Chinese ambassador to Qatar, Jordan and Ireland. The Afghan issue is now the focus of attention for the international community. China has all along actively participated in and promoted the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, attached high importance to communication and coordination with all relevant parties and international cooperation related to Afghanistan, and will continue to play a constructive role in the early realization of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Mr. Yue Xiaoyong will establish work relationship with colleagues from relevant parties as soon as possible and maintain close communication and coordination.

Shenzhen TV: Recently some ROK political figures have made negative remarks on issues relating to Hong Kong and THAAD. The Chinese ambassador to the ROK made clear China's position through various means like meetings and articles. Some in the ROK think these moves are tinted with the aim of interfering in ROK's domestic affairs and influencing elections. The ROK Foreign Ministry has also said it hopes China will act prudently. Does China have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I've noted the remarks by some ROK political figures on issues relating to Hong Kong and THAAD, many of which China finds unacceptable. I would like to stress that Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are purely China's domestic affairs. No country, organization or individual has any right to or should make wanton comments. With regard to the THAAD issue, China and the ROK have reached consensus on how to handle it at the current stage. This is an important foundation of the improvement and development of bilateral ties. We hope the ROK side will properly handle this issue in accordance with the bilateral consensus and make active efforts towards solving the issue once and for all. Chinese diplomats posted overseas have the responsibility to make clear China's position on issues concerning major interests of the country in a timely manner. This is by no means interference in domestic affairs or influence on elections of other countries.

China and the ROK are important close neighbors and strategic partners of cooperation. It is in the common interests of both sides to maintain, consolidate and develop China-ROK relations. I have noticed that the ROK will hold a presidential election next year. No matter which candidate is elected as the new president of the ROK, China is ready to work with the ROK to further advance our bilateral relations for the benefit of the two peoples. China upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. We cannot and will not seek to influence the ROK election. We also hope that the ROK politicians and the public will voice support for the development of China-ROK relations amid and beyond important domestic elections, and inject more positive energy into the bilateral relations.

CCTV: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the US said in a report released on July 20 that the US government identified and tracked 23 US natural gas pipeline operators targeted from 2011 to 2013 by an intrusion campaign, which they believe was conducted by state-sponsored Chinese actors. Do you have any response?

Zhao Lijian: This so-called report of the US side is confusing right with wrong and like a thief crying "stop thief". China firmly opposes and combats cyber attack in all its forms. This position is consistent and clear-cut.

In fact, the US is the largest source of cyber attacks targeting China. Data show that in 2020, relevant Chinese institutions captured 42 million malicious program samples. Of those originating overseas, 53% are from the US. If there is a ranking of hacking states, nobody other than the US can claim the top spot.

The US doesn't even spare its allies in tapping and surveillance. Wikileaks revealed in 2015 that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone for many years and targeted 125 phone numbers of top German officials for long-term surveillance, and also eavesdropped on French Presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. According to a report by Danish broadcaster DR this year, the NSA used its partnership with Denmark's foreign intelligence unit to spy on calls and chat messages to and from telephones of senior officials of European countries in Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Documents leaked by Snowden on the US surveillance program Stateroom show that the US has been operating a highly secretive signals intelligence collection program in almost a hundred US embassies and consulates worldwide. Another case in point is the Crypto AG scandal. The Swiss company, founded more than half a century ago and specializing in communications and information security, was actually a puppet of the CIA, and the devices it sold to over 120 countries were rigged so that the CIA could easily break the codes that countries used to send encrypted messages.

People can tell right from wrong. The US has not a shred of credibility left on the issue of cyber security, making whatever it says more than dubious.

Phoenix TV: The US State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) tweeted that "the US welcomes Taiwan's expanding international partnerships and its work to address shared challenges, including COVID-19, investment screening, and supply chain resilience. We applaud the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania". Do you have a response?

Zhao Lijian: We firmly oppose the erroneous words and acts of the US. There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. This is a historical and legal fact that cannot be altered by anyone or any force in any way. The US should earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, act prudently on the Taiwan question, stop helping Taiwan expand its so-called international space and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Global Times: By the afternoon of July 21, about 5 million netizens in China have endorsed the open letter calling on the WHO to investigate the Fort Detrick bio-lab. This has attracted much attention from Chinese and foreign media. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Since the open letter was published on July 17, it has received encouraging responses from the Chinese people and endorsed by about 5 million people within 5 days. The increasing endorsement reflects the Chinese people's aspiration and their anger in the political manipulation by some in the US. A probe into Fort Detrick is long overdue, but the US has not done it yet.

The mystery of Fort Detrick remain unexplained and shrouded by suspicions. In July 2019, the US CDC issued a "cease and desist order" to halt most research at Fort Detrick. In the same month, there were reports on the unexplained outbreaks of respiratory disease in northern Virginia and on the subsequent EVALI outbreaks in Wisconsin. By the end of July, two retirement communities near the base experienced unexplained pneumonia outbreaks. In September, vaping-related lung illness cases doubled in Maryland where Fort Detrick is based. Even so, the US CDC refused to release critical information regarding the base's closure by citing "national security reasons". The Fort Detrick base has disturbing records and stains in history. The base has in its storage research outcomes of biological warfare from people recruited after WWII, i