On March 10, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian presided over a regular press conference.
CCTV: We have noticed that recently the United States and other countries have said that China has not taken practical measures to resolve the conflict and has not cooperated with Western sanctions against Russia. Another US think tank said that China's "balance" strategy was not constructive. What is the Spokesperson's comment on this?
Zhao Lijian: When you extend your finger to accuse others, don't forget that there are three fingers pointing at yourself. Those who accuse China of "standing by" on Ukraine should first ask themselves what role they have played in this crisis. Who has pushed NATO's fifth consecutive round of eastward expansion? Who in Ukraine has been pouring fire on the couch for months, creating tensions and eventually escalating the situation out of control?
On the Ukraine issue, China has always acted in an objective and impartial manner, made judgments independently and autonomously on the basis of the merits of the matter itself, and has always played a constructive role in persuading peace and promoting talks. The day after the conflict, when President Xi Jinping spoke with President Putin at the request, he offered to see peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible. The day before yesterday, when President Xi Jinping held a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Scholz, he once again stressed the need to jointly support the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, promote the two sides to maintain the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties and continue to talk, and talk about results and peace. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has recently held telephone calls with Europe, the United States, Russia, Ukraine and other parties, and put forward the "six-point initiative" on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, providing assistance for easing the situation, persuading peace and promoting talks and consensus. It is hoped that all relevant parties will remain calm and restrained, encourage and support all diplomatic efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, and jointly promote the cooling down of the situation.
I would like to stress that waving the stick of sanctions will not help to resolve the Ukrainian problem. Practice has long proved that sanctions will not only fail to solve problems, but also create new problems, not only causing a "lose-lose" or "multiple-lose" situation in the economy, but also interfering with the process of affecting political settlement, which is truly "unconstructive". When handling its relations with Russia, the US side must not impose so-called sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese enterprises and individuals, and must not harm China's legitimate rights and interests, otherwise China will make a resolute and forceful response.
Source: Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
CCTV: According to reports, the UN Independent Inquiry Commission on Syria reiterated its urging the United States and other parties to conduct a credible, independent and impartial investigation into and accountability for civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in Syria. What is the Foreign Ministry's comment on this?
Zhao Lijian: Five years ago, the US military used the false intelligence of the "White Helmets" group to pose a video as "evidence" to launch the so-called "most accurate air strike in history" against Syria, causing more than 1,600 innocent civilians to be killed.
International calls for an investigation into the indiscriminate killing of civilians in U.S. military operations overseas have been repeated. In the case of Syria alone, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria in September 2019 and February 2021 pointed out several times in its reports that the AIR STRIKEs launched by the United States in Syria did not distinguish between military targets and civilians, serious violations of international humanitarian law, and suspected of constituting war crimes. But the U.S. government has so far turned a deaf ear to it.
According to reports, in the past two decades, the United States has launched more than 90,000 air strikes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other countries, and the highest number of civilians killed in air strikes may reach 48,000. However, the US side has repeatedly concealed and concealed relevant facts, refused to apologize, did not admit guilt, did not punish the murderer, and did everything possible to evade responsibility. In response to a drone strike on civilians by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman publicly acknowledged in December that no U.S. soldier would face disciplinary action as a result. U.S. media also revealed at the end of last year that from 2014 to 2019, U.S. drones repeatedly attacked and killed farmers in the harvest, children frolicking on the streets, families fleeing the war, and villagers hiding in buildings. But these catastrophic crimes are deliberately covered up and whitewashed.
U.S. media revealed last year that the number of civilian casualties in U.S. airstrikes launched by the United States in the Middle East was "grossly underestimated, based on classified estimates of more than 1,300 civilian casualty reports within the U.S. military. Lewis, head of the U.S. Naval Analysis Center, believes that since the "9/11" incident, civilian injuries caused by the US military have occurred almost once a week, and the US government has been derelict in the issue of civilian injuries. The United States has also obstructed the International Criminal Court's investigation into its war crimes in Afghanistan.
Every human life, regardless of difference in national, ethnic, religious, or values, is equal and precious. The US side should earnestly respond to the strong voice of the international community, conduct a credible, independent and impartial investigation of civilian casualties caused by US air strikes, and earnestly hold relevant personnel accountable.
Yonhap News Agency: South Korea's National Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-wook was elected as the new president. What is China's comment on this?
Cho Li-kin: China congratulates Mr. Yoon Seok-wook on his election as the new president of the ROK.
China and South Korea are inseparable neighbors and inseparable partners. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK. Over the past 30 years, China-ROK relations have achieved rapid development, brought tangible benefits to the two countries and their peoples, and made positive contributions to promoting regional peace and development. We are willing to make joint efforts with the ROK to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations and better benefit the two peoples.
Turkish Radio and Television: The Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey today, which is the first meeting between Russia and Ukraine since the outbreak of war. Turkey's foreign minister said he would also attend the talks. What are your comments and expectations for the Foreign Minister's meeting?
Zhao Lijian: Yesterday I already made clear my position on relevant issues. China welcomes all diplomatic efforts aimed at the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, including the tripartite foreign ministers' meeting between Turkey, Russia and Ukraine. We note that this is the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We hope that the parties concerned will move in the same direction on the principle of mutual respect, sit down for serious negotiations and make positive efforts for a peaceful settlement of the crisis.
Beijing Youth Daily: On March 9, the 157th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States adopted a resolution commending China's diplomatic efforts to support the Arab cause and peacefully resolving regional crises, welcoming Saudi Arabia's hosting of the first Arab-Chinese summit in 2022, and stressing its willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields under the Belt and Road Initiative. What is China's comment on this?
Zhao Lijian: China highly appreciates the resolutions adopted by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab Leagues to strengthen relations with China for many consecutive years. The current Foreign Ministers' Council once again highly appreciates China's diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve regional crises, which fully reflects the high level of strategic partnership between the two sides and the broad consensus between China and Arab countries on resolving regional issues.
As State Councilor Wang Yi said at the press conference of the two sessions, China has never sought any geopolitical self-interest in the Middle East, and it has no intention of filling the so-called power vacuum. The Middle East is the Middle East of the Middle East, and the right to safeguard security and development in the Middle East should be thoroughly handed over to the middle East people. China has always pursued the "two supports", that is, supporting the unity and cooperation of Middle Eastern countries to solve regional security issues, and supporting the people of the Middle East to explore their own development path independently.
In the face of the epidemic, China-ARAB relations have bucked the trend and continued to be full of vitality and vitality. Last year, China continued to be the largest trading partner of the Arab states, with bilateral trade volume of about US$330 billion, an increase of about 37% year-on-year. The key projects of the "Belt and Road" between China and Argentina have been promoted in an orderly manner, high-tech cooperation such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and aerospace is in the ascendant, and pragmatic cooperation has reached a new level. In the next stage, China will work with the Arab side to jointly prepare for the first China-Arab States Summit, inject more new connotations into the China-Arab states strategic partnership, and work together to build a China-Arab community of common destiny facing the new era.
Yomiuri Shimbun of Japan: Recently, Russia released a list of unfriendly countries and regions. What is China's comment? If Russia takes concrete actions in the future, how will China respond?
Zhao Lijian: As a sovereign state, Russia has the right to make its own decisions.
Phoenix TV: We have noted that the Cambodian Foreign Secretary, the rotating chairman of ASEAN, said that because some ASEAN leaders cannot attend on time, the US-ASEAN Leaders' Summit scheduled for the 28th of this month will be postponed, and the duration of the meeting will be chosen separately. Some commentators also pointed out that the White House's previous unilateral announcement of the date of the meeting has displeased some ASEAN countries. Prior to this, the leaders of ASEAN countries also proposed several dates, but they were changed by the US side. If the date unilaterally proposed by the United States is followed, half of the leaders of ASEAN countries will not be able to attend. What is China's comment on this?
Zhao Lijian: We have noted relevant reports. China hopes that when participating in regional cooperation in East Asia, the US side will support ASEAN's central position with practical actions in the spirit of mutual respect and do more things conducive to promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity.
Source: Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Liu Liu
Process Edit: U022