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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on October 8, 2021
2021-10-08 20:54

Premier Li Keqiang will attend the opening ceremony of the 130th China Import and Export Fair and the Pearl River International Trade Forum and deliver a keynote speech in Guangzhou on October 14.

CCTV: I wonder if you could provide any information on a possible meeting between the Chinese and US heads of state?

Zhao Lijian: Following the spirit of the phone call between Chinese and US heads of state on September 10, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Zurich, Switzerland. The two sides had a comprehensive, candid and in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

During their phone call on September 10, the two heads of state agreed to maintain frequent contact by multiple means. To act on their consensus, Director Yang Jiechi and NSA Jake Sullivan discussed during the meeting a video conference between the two heads of state before the end of this year.

CRI: How does China see the recent meeting between Director Yang Jiechi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan? How do you envision China-US relations after the meeting?

Zhao Lijian: This high-level meeting was constructive, and conducive to enhancing mutual understanding.

Director Yang Jiechi pointed out that whether China and the United States can handle their relations well bears on the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, as well as the future of the world. When China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will benefit; when China and the United States are in confrontation, the two countries and the world will suffer severely. The US side needs to have a deep understanding of the mutually beneficial nature of China-US relations and correctly understand China's domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions. China opposes defining China-US relations as "competitive".

China attaches importance to the positive remarks on China-US relations made recently by US President Joe Biden, and has noticed that the US side said it has no intention of containing China's development, and does not seek a "new Cold War". China hopes the US side could adopt a rational and pragmatic China policy, and, together with China, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and follow a path of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

Director Yang Jiechi expounded China's solemn position on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Xizang and human rights as well as maritime issues, urging the US side to truly respect China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and stop using the above issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.

The two sides agreed to take action, following the spirit of the phone call between Chinese and US heads of state on September 10, strengthen strategic communication, properly manage differences, avoid conflict and confrontation, seek mutual benefits and win-win results, and work together to bring China-US relations back on the right track of sound and steady development.

AFP: I have two questions. A Pentagon official has said that US Special Operations forces have been quietly training troops in Taiwan for months. How does Beijing react to this? The CIA has announced a new China-focused unit to counter alleged security threats from Beijing. How do you react to this?

Zhao Lijian: On your first question, the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. China and the US established diplomatic relations on the premise of the three principles, namely, the US should sever "diplomatic relations" and abrogate the "mutual defense treaty" with the Taiwan authorities and withdraw US military forces from Taiwan. The US explicitly pledges in the China-US Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations that it will "maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan". The US should fully recognize the highly sensitive nature of Taiwan-related issues and the gravely detrimental nature of relevant issues, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and stop arms sales to and military ties with Taiwan to avoid seriously damaging China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China will take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On your second question, this is a typical symptom of the Cold War mentality. Relevant US agency should view China's development and China-US relations in an objective and rational light and stop doing things detrimental to mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US and China's sovereignty, security and development interests.

TASS News Agency: According to the US Navy statement, on October 2, US Navy nuclear-powered submarine USS Connecticut was damaged after it struck an unknown object while submerged in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region. According to media reports, the incident occurred in the waters of the South China Sea. Do you have any comments on this?

Zhao Lijian: We are gravely concerned about the incident. As the party involved, the US should clarify in specific details what happened, including the exact location of the incident, the US side's navigation intention, the details of the incident, the object the submarine struck, whether the collision caused a nuclear leak or damaged local marine environment, etc.

I would also like to stress three points about the incident. First, the US has long been making trouble in the South China Sea in the name of "freedom of navigation", which poses a grave threat and major risks for regional peace and stability. This is the root cause of this incident. Second, the US deliberately stalled and concealed the specifics of the incident without transparency and due responsibility. China and other countries surrounding the South China Sea cannot help but ask what truly happened and what the US intention is. Third, we can also see the following from this incident. The US and the UK recently decided to conduct nuclear submarine cooperation with Australia, a non-nuclear weapon state, and flagrantly proliferate nuclear submarines in the Asia-Pacific. This is bound to create nuclear proliferation risks, spark an arms race and undermine efforts to establish a Southeast Asia nuclear-free-zone. The odds of a nuclear incident will also increase dramatically. The US should abandon the obsolete Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical notions, and stop such erroneous practice that undermine regional peace, stability and development.

Shenzhen TV: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently said that by putting forward an Indo-Pacific strategy and creating the Quad mechanism and the AUKUS security partnership, the US intends to undercut the decades-old ASEAN-centered cooperation model. Such a strategy towards handling regional politics is aimed at openly containing China and undermining the existing system. Does the Chinese side have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: That's very well-put indeed! Foreign Minister Lavrov's views reflect the shared concern of the vast majority of ASEAN countries. The US Indo-Pacific strategy, AUKUS and Quad are all closed and exclusive cliques informed by the Cold War zero-sum mentality with strong military security undertones. They will spur regional arms race, aggravate tension, and undermine regional unity and cooperation. The US practice of ganging up against a third party runs counter to regional countries' common aspiration to seek shared development through dialogue and cooperation and advance regional integration. It wins no hearts and has no future. Many ASEAN countries have questioned and opposed these moves to various degrees.

The ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture is consistent with East Asian tradition and realistic needs. It is of great significance for enhancing regional countries' solidarity, cooperation and common development, and should be cherished and consolidated. Regional countries should be