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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on November 16, 2022
2022-11-16 18:19

Shenzhen TV: On November 15, the UN announced that the world population reached eight billion. UN Secretary-General António Guterres published an article titled “Eight billion people, one humanity”, in which he pointed out that as our human family grows larger, inequalities have grown and the world is “growing more divided”. The ongoing food and energy crises are hitting developing economies hardest. What is your comment?

Mao Ning: Reaching the mark of eight billion in world population is a milestone for human development. UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote that inequalities in the world have grown and the human family is “growing more divided”. At this very moment, we need to seriously think about the question “what is wrong with this world, what we should do about it”. Yesterday at the G20 Summit, President Xi Jinping made important remarks. He stressed that it is imperative that all countries embrace the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. All countries should replace division with unity, confrontation with cooperation, and exclusion with inclusiveness. This is China’s answer to the question of our times.

President Xi pointed out that we should make global development more inclusive. Solidarity is strength, but division leads nowhere. Living in the same global village, we should stand with each other in the face of risks and challenges. Countries should respect each other, seek common grounds while reserving differences, live together in peace, and promote an open world economy. 

We should make global development beneficial to all. Development is real only when all countries develop together. Prosperity and stability cannot be possible in a world where the rich become richer while the poor are made poorer. Modernization is not a privilege reserved for any single country. Frontrunners in development should sincerely help others develop, and provide more global public goods. The Global Development Initiative (GDI) is aimed at meeting the long-term objective and immediate needs of common development of the world, fostering international consensus on promoting development, cultivating new drivers for global development, and facilitating common development and progress of all countries.

We should make global development more resilient. Economic globalization is encountering headwinds, and the world economy is at risk of recession. Developing countries are bearing the brunt. We need to build a global partnership for economic recovery, always keep in mind the difficulties faced by developing countries, and accommodate their concerns. 

President Xi stressed that food and energy security is the most pressing challenge in global development. The way out of this is for all countries to, with the coordination of the UN and other multilateral international organizations, enhance cooperation on market supervision and regulation, build partnerships on commodities, develop an open, stable and sustainable commodities market, and work together to unclog supply chains and stabilize market prices. We must resolutely oppose the attempt to politicize food and energy issues or use them as tools and weapons. We need to provide necessary support in production, collection, storage, funding and technology.

Being part of the world with eight billion people, China will always stay committed to defending world peace, promoting common development, and building a human community with a shared future, and continue to put our own development in the bigger context of human development. This way, we can bring more opportunities to the world and make greater contribution to human progress.

Bloomberg: I’d like to ask about the Russian-made missile that fell on a village in Poland near the border with Ukraine. That’s according to the Polish foreign ministry. I’m just curious if you can share with us China’s take on that incident?

Mao Ning: We noted relevant reports. Under the current circumstances, all parties concerned should stay calm and exercise restraint and avoid the escalation of tension.

China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. The pressing priority is to have dialogue and negotiation and peacefully resolve the crisis. 

Reuters: It is reported that the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been canceled. Is this true? If so, why is it being canceled? 

Mao Ning: I have nothing to share. Let me stress that China is committed to promoting steady and sound development of China-UK relations with the UK on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We hope the UK will work with China toward this goal.

Bloomberg: A question regarding comments made by the US FBI Director Christopher Wray. He reiterated the bureau’s longstanding security concerns about the Chinese-owned video app TikTok. And he said he was sharing the agency’s views with officials in the US who are currently looking into whether TikTok can continue to operate in the United States. What is the foreign ministry’s comment on this?

Mao Ning: Spreading disinformation and then using it to hobble Chinese companies has become a go-to tool used by the US government. China is firmly against this. The US should act more responsibly, and take more credible steps to respect and observe the international rules that emphasize fairness, openness and non-discrimination.

Bloomberg: The US intelligence community has begun an effort at stopping spies and hackers from China and elsewhere from accessing academic research on emerging technologies. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this recent development?

Mao Ning: The Chinese government has always been unequivocally against hacking attacks and abusing information technologies. The US possesses the most powerful cyber technologies and capabilities in the world, and has launched the biggest number of hacking attacks, wiretapping and secret theft against other countries. A recent report shows that the US launched cyber attacks and theft operations against China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University and took away a group of core technical data. But the US has yet to offer an explanation. The US needs to immediately stop its cyber attacks and secret thefts against other countries, and stop making irresponsible accusations against others on cyber security.

Reuters: Former US President Donald Trump has announced that he’s going to, once again, bid to become the US President. What’s China’s comment? 

Mao Ning: This is the US’s internal affair so I’m not going to comment on it.

AFP: Can you confirm that President Xi met with Canada’s Prime Minister yesterday? And can you share any details of the conversation?

Mao Ning: I have nothing to share at the moment.

AFP: We’ve seen reports that two Chinese nationals were wounded and one killed in a military strike yesterday in Myanmar’s Kayin State. Do you have any news about this incident?

Mao Ning: I’m not aware of what you said.

Reuters: I know that you have no information to offer on the Sunak-Xi meeting. But if this is indeed true, what’s your comment on the reported cancellation? 

Mao Ning: I just answered this question. I have nothing to share at the moment.

NHK: Do you have anything to share on the upcoming meeting between the Japanese Prime Minister and the Chinese President?

Mao Ning: As agreed between the two sides, Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok. This will be the first official meeting between the two leaders and carry great importance. The two sides will exchange views on China-Japan relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest. 

China and Japan are close neighbors and important countries in the region. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations. The two sides need to respond to the trend of the times, stay committed to peace and friendship, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, manage differences well, and work together to build a China-Japan relationship that meets the call of the new era.

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