Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Welcome the good offices efforts of the UN Secretary-General to ease the situation in Russia and Ukraine

Source: People's Daily - International Channel Original draft

Beijing, 29 Apr (People's Daily Online) According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian presided over today's regular press conference. The transcript of the press conference is as follows:

CCTV: On April 28, the Security Council issued a presidential press statement condemning the terrorist attack at the University of Karachi in Pakistan. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: On April 28, the UN Security Council unanimously issued a presidential press statement expressing the strongest condemnation of the terrorist attack on the shuttle bus at the Confucius Institute at Karachi University in Pakistan, expressing the deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the Chinese government and the Pakistani government, stressing that the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and supporters of the attack should be brought to justice, and urging all countries to cooperate with the Chinese government and the Pakistani government in this regard.

The presidential press statement issued by the Security Council reflects the strong indignation and severe condemnation of this terrorist act by the international community, and the sympathy and condolences to the civilians of China and Pakistan who have unfortunately died, representing the common voice of all countries in the world.

Justice will not be absent, and evil will be severely punished. Terrorism is the common enemy of all mankind, and combating terrorism is the common responsibility of the international community. At present, international terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to the security and social stability of all peoples, and all parties should strengthen coordination and cooperation, take all measures to combat terrorism and jointly safeguard world peace and tranquillity.

Agence France-Presse (AFP): According to foreign media reports, the president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China recently criticized the "dynamic zeroing" policy for having a particularly serious impact on EU companies in China. What is China's comment on this? Are you in favor of further measures to alleviate the impact of epidemic prevention efforts on foreign enterprises?

Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. I would like to point out that when referring to the epidemic in China, he made an overall positive judgment on China's response to the epidemic. He also said that the prospects for China's economic development are bright, and the future of EU companies is in China.

Regarding the epidemic in China, my colleagues and I have commented many times. The Information Office of the State Council has been conducting regular press releases on the epidemic situation in China. I believe that all the journalists saw the relevant records and participated in the relevant press conferences. I would like to emphasize that the general policy of "dynamic zero clearance" epidemic prevention is in line with China's national conditions and science, and has achieved good prevention and control results recognized by the world. The epidemic brought by Delta in 2021 once affected more than 20 provinces. China quickly adopted prevention and control measures, effectively handled more than 30 clustered epidemics, and basically controlled the epidemic with an incubation period, that is, 14 days, which effectively guaranteed the life safety and physical health of Chinese and foreign citizens living and living in China. At the moment, we are facing the tsunami brought by Aumechjong. This virus is spreading faster than we could have imagined. The positive response measures taken by some Chinese cities can be said to have achieved or are achieving positive results. China has also made important contributions to the global fight against the epidemic and has been highly praised by the international community.

Of course, the guidelines and measures we have adopted have had some impact on production and life. We have seen that the vast majority of Chinese people, as well as foreign citizens and foreign enterprises living and working in China, have expressed their understanding and support for the relevant epidemic prevention measures, and many touching stories with warmth and warmth have emerged. It is thanks to the joint efforts of Chinese people, including foreigners living in China, that we have come together to form a strong confidence and strength to overcome the tsunami brought about by this round of Omilon. We believe that with the joint efforts of all sectors of society and everyone, we will surely win the battle against the epidemic and make greater contributions to the global fight against the epidemic.

The Paper: A few days ago, UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Russia and Ukraine. He said that the United Nations is committed to creating conditions for effective dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, a ceasefire and a peace agreement as soon as possible, and called on both sides to end the conflict and achieve peace in accordance with the CHARTER of the United Nations and the principles of international law. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: We welcome Secretary-General Guterres' good offices efforts to ease the situation in Russia and Ukraine. China has always supported Russia and Ukraine in overcoming difficulties to continue negotiations, and also welcomes all efforts of the international community conducive to persuading peace and promoting talks.

It has been more than two months since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the spillover effect of the conflict is becoming increasingly apparent, which is worrying. We have noted that the recent clamor of the European people for an end to the conflict as soon as possible through dialogue and peace talks has become increasingly loud. The delay in the war and sanctions against Russia have caused energy prices in the eurozone to rise by 44.7% year-on-year, inflation has been rising, and the lives of ordinary people have been increasingly affected. In contrast, American arms dealers, grain merchants and traders are making a lot of money.

Under the current circumstances, the international community should insist on unity rather than separatism, democracy rather than hegemony, dialogue and consultation rather than unilateral sanctions, independence and not taking sides, and jointly promote the settlement of conflicts as soon as possible and the early advent of peace. China is ready to work with all parties to continue to play a constructive role in that regard.

Bloomberg: A question about Ukraine. A Bloomberg report today highlighted that Russia's war on Ukraine has triggered a profound reassessment by European governments of their relations with China, as well as europe's collective relationship with China. What is the Foreign Ministry's view on this?

Zhao Lijian: The EU and China are the largest consortium of developed countries and the largest developing countries respectively, and the two sides share extensive common interests and a profound basis for cooperation. A stable China-EU relationship is essential for world peace, stability and development. China has always viewed China-EU relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with the European side to build the four major partnerships of peace, growth, reform and civilization between China and the EU. The European side should indeed reflect on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. My colleagues and I have pointed out many times that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict appears to be a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but in reality the real parties to the conflict are NATO represented by Russia and the United States. The EU should reflect on who is the real beneficiary of this war, who is the battlefield of this war, and who has suffered the most in this war. With regard to China, we hope that the European side can form an independent understanding of China, pursue an independent China policy, work with China to promote the stability and long-term development of China-EU relations, and make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and prosperity.

CCTV: According to reports, the "Fourth Shuangpin Online Shopping Festival and African Good Things Online Shopping Festival" was officially launched yesterday, and coffee, red wine, black tea, nuts and other products from African countries were sought after by domestic consumers on the first day of launch. Could the Spokesperson provide any further information on that?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, the "Fourth Shuangpin Online Shopping Festival and African Good Things Online Shopping Festival" was officially launched, with the active participation of many provinces and cities in China, concentrating superior resources to promote African high-quality products, and more than 200 featured products from more than 20 African countries met with domestic consumers on major domestic e-commerce platforms. In the next two weeks, welcome reporters and friends to the African Good Things Online Shopping Festival area of major e-commerce platforms to take a look around and take a look, I believe you will definitely harvest a full harvest.

I would like to emphasize that the holding of the African Good Things Online Shopping Festival is another concrete action of China to implement the "nine projects" for Africa cooperation announced by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and is the latest achievement of China-Africa strengthening digital economic cooperation and expanding "Silk Road e-commerce" cooperation. With regard to cooperation with Africa, China has never kept its promises and has never paid lip service to the truth. The fruitful results of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation over the past 20 years since its establishment have shown that China-Africa cooperation is a model of "South-South cooperation", that China and Africa will always be reliable partners on the road of development, and that they are hardcore friends who are in the same boat in the face of difficulties. China will continue to uphold and practice the "spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation" and work with The African side to promote the orderly implementation of the outcomes of the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum with the "Nine Projects" as the core, bringing more tangible benefits to the Chinese and African people.

Phoenix SATELLITE TV: We are concerned that when Commander Aquilino of the US Indo-Pacific Command attended India's "Reissina Dialogue" on the 27th, he said that the cooperation between China and Russia without a ceiling is a concern, and like-minded countries around the world should use various technologies to build a comprehensive deterrent. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: One of the successful experiences of Sino-Russian relations is that the two sides have gone beyond the model of military-political alliance during the Cold War and have always insisted on developing a new type of international relations on the basis of the principle of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries. This is fundamentally different from the Cold War mentality of individual countries insisting on engaging in "small circles" and promoting zero-sum games.

The United States has violated its commitments and continuously promoted NATO's eastward expansion, shouldering unshirkable responsibility for the emergence of the Ukraine crisis. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict triggered an unprecedented refugee crisis in the influx of more than 5 million Ukrainians into its European neighbors, while the United States was "performing" refugees, with only 12 Ukrainian refugees entering the United States through the U.S. Refugee Program throughout March. As the United Nations and the international community call for the conflict to end as soon as possible, the United States is still pouring fuel into the fire, clamoring to "fight to the last Ukrainian." The United States also continues to provide Ukraine with funds and weapons. The real purpose of the United States is not to make peace, but to perpetuate the conflict. As the U.S. side itself says, their goal is to weaken Russia.

Did the United States bring peace or war? Is it security or turbulence? I believe that the eyes of the people of the world are shining.

People's Daily: Today marks the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: In the 25 years since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force, it has played an important role in maintaining international peace and security. With 193 States already acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention, 99 per cent of the world's stockpiles of chemical weapons have been destroyed, and humanity is moving towards a vision of a world free of chemical weapons.

China is an original party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and a contributor to the second congress of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. China has made important contributions to safeguarding the system of global disarmament and security governance. China has always adhered to an objective and impartial stance and made important contributions to promoting the settlement of hotspot issues such as Syria's chemical weapons. China firmly supports international cooperation in the chemical industry and firmly safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries in peaceful utilization, which has been widely praised by the international community.

At the same time, we should also note that the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention still faces many challenges. United States stockpiles of chemical weapons have not yet been destroyed. The United States is the only country that still maintains stockpiles of chemical weapons. The destruction of Japan's abandoned chemical weapons in China has been overdue many times, which seriously threatens the lives and property of Chinese people and the safety of the ecological environment. Some countries have used hotspot issues such as Syria's chemical weapons to engage in political manipulation, which has seriously interfered with the normal operation of the OpCW Organization. The countries concerned should work in the same direction as the international community, earnestly shoulder their responsibilities and obligations, and jointly safeguard the authority of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Reuters: Yonhap news agencies reported that at the request of Pyongyang, Dandong has shut down trains to North Korea because the number of COVID-19 cases in border provinces has risen. South Korea's unification ministry said it could not confirm that trains were still operating normally as of yesterday. Can you confirm that China has stopped running trains from Dandong to North Korea?

Zhao Lijian: I can confirm to you that in view of the current epidemic situation in Dandong, China and the DPRK have decided to temporarily suspend railway freight at the Dandong-Sinuiju port after friendly consultations.

Xinhua News Agency: A few days ago, the United States, together with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, jointly launched the so-called "Declaration on the Future of the Internet." According to reports, the United States originally planned to announce the establishment of the "Internet Future Alliance" during the so-called "Leaders' Democracy Summit" last year, but had to postpone it due to multiple opposition. This is the latest attempt made by the United States, and a series of supporting activities will be held in the future. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: Neither the so-called "Internet Future Alliance" nor the "Declaration on the Future of the Internet" can obscure the essence of the policy of the United States and some countries on the Internet issue, that is, using ideology to draw lines, inciting separatism and confrontation, undermining international rules, and trying to impose their own standards on others. This so-called Declaration is the latest example of splitting the Internet and provoking confrontation in cyberspace.

The Declaration claims to be committed to a global and interoperable Internet, but the United States abandons the United Nations and other multilateral platforms and is keen on engaging in various small circles, trying to draw lines with ideology and undermine the principle of global Internet governance with collective "family law and regulation".

The Declaration claims that digital technologies should not be misused for illegal surveillance, that personal data should be obtained on the basis of law and that international human rights law is complied with, but for many years the United States has engaged in large-scale, systematic, and indiscriminate information and data theft around the world through the Internet, seriously undermining the privacy of Internet users around the world, trampling on international human rights principles, and even the leaders of some countries participating in the Declaration are not immune.

The Declaration claims that the Use of the Internet for Clandestine Information Manipulation and Sabotage of Elections in Other Countries should be avoided, but the United States has been spreading false information for many years, wantonly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and even subverting the regimes of other countries.

The Declaration claims that all kinds of enterprises can innovate in a fair and competitive ecosystem and compete with their own advantages, but some countries, especially the United States, have abused national security reasons to suppress and coerce other countries' enterprises without any evidence, and have taken the opportunity to implement their own immature systems.

The Declaration claims that governments should avoid affecting access to the Internet, but the United States has taken the lead in announcing cyberspace as a new battlefield in the world, and has carried out "forward deployment" of cyber military forces around relevant countries, endangering the security of critical infrastructure in other countries. Not long ago, former senior U.S. officials openly called for cyberattacks against other countries.

The Declaration also claims to support the work of multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, but its content itself is inconsistent with the rules set by the United Nations, promoting "non-technical factors" in supply chain security and artificially introducing ideology into cybersecurity issues.

I've just given you so many examples. I want to emphasize that this act of the US side, no matter how it is packaged, is actually a new bottle of old wine. Under the pretext of "democracy," the US side has made a makeover of the "clean network plan" that has long been unpopular, in an attempt to engage in a closed and exclusive "small circle."

Cyberspace is the common activity space of mankind, and the future of cyberspace should be jointly controlled by all countries in the world. Countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation and work together to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. We call on relevant countries to return to the inclusive process of consultation, co-construction and sharing in the international community, return to multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, jointly explore the formulation of international rules for Internet and digital governance that reflect the wishes of all parties and respect the interests of all parties, jointly establish a truly multilateral, democratic and transparent global Internet governance system, and build a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly network and digital space.

Bloomberg: An issue related to the epidemic. As the capital of China, I would like to ask, are government workers in Beijing told to work from home to prevent the epidemic? At present, what measures has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs taken to work from home and other epidemic prevention and control methods for employees of the Ministry?

Zhao Lijian: Thank you for your attention to the prevention and control of the epidemic in Beijing. At present, it is a critical juncture for the prevention and control of the epidemic in Beijing, and it is the top priority to ensure the safety of the public, including foreign media reporters and friends in Beijing, and to ensure the safety of the capital. In order to effectively block the spread of the epidemic, Beijing has introduced a series of epidemic prevention measures. Our staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are also citizens of Beijing, will also fully cooperate in the relevant work.

I would like to emphasize that at present, the flow control of the transmission chain in Beijing is in place, the prevention and control measures are in place, and the new cases are within the scope of control. In the face of the Olmikeron strain, China will adhere to the general policy of "dynamic zeroing" in epidemic prevention. It is believed that with the joint efforts of all sectors of society, we will surely win the victory in the battle against the epidemic and make greater contributions to global solidarity against the epidemic.

China News Service: We have noted that after the US State Department recently issued the so-called "2021 Country Rights Report", Cuba, India, Iran, Turkey and many other countries have strongly opposed and publicly criticized. "The United States needs to self-reflect and first address its own human rights issues, rather than pointing fingers at human rights in other countries," the ASEAN Post said. What is the spokesperson's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: The so-called "2021 Country-specific Human Rights Report" of the United States makes irresponsible remarks about the human rights situation in 198 countries and regions around the world, but it has omitted itself. It was deliberately missed. It criticizes so many countries that it will naturally be opposed by the world. Obviously, nearly 1 million Americans have died due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and an average of more than 120 people die of gun violence every day, and the cry of Freud "can't breathe" has not affected the mood of the United States to play the "teacher of human rights", and even stimulated the "human rights judge" to divert the outside world's attention to its bad human rights situation. As Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said put it, "No one expects the U.S. government, which is obsessed with lying, to tell the truth, and the U.S. talks about human rights as 'crocodile tears.'"

Groundlessly accusing other countries of human rights will not make their own human rights better, but will only expose their own hypocritical double standards. The face of the United States' false human rights and true hegemony has long been seen through by the international community. As Cuban Foreign Minister Rodríguez put it, "The United States is using human rights as a tool to manipulate and intimidate countries that disobey Washington's interests." The fundamental reason why the US State Department has been painstakingly working hard for the "human rights report" for more than 40 years is that it is used as a "black book" to stigmatize and demonize competitors, coercing and extorting "asking orders" from other countries. China will not agree to this, the vast number of developing countries will not agree, and no one in the international community with justice and conscience will agree.

Human rights are by no means the preserve of a few countries, and they should not become a tool for exerting pressure and political blackmail on other countries. In order to safeguard its own hegemonic interests, the United States has gone against the tide of history and intensified its efforts to promote the politicization of human rights, which has seriously hindered the healthy development of the world's human rights cause. The United States Government should immediately stop fabricating so-called country-specific human rights reports and focus its energies on facing up to and improving its own human rights situation.

Agence France-Presse:An official from the Foreign Information Department of the Beijing Propaganda Department said that Beijing Health Treasure suffered a cyber attack from abroad yesterday. In addition, relevant information circulating on the Internet shows that some community epidemic prevention workers in Shanghai claim that the so-called foreign forces are trying to disrupt the realization of the "dynamic clearance" policy. Are these allegations really true? Which countries are the source of these attacks? Why would they attack such a public health program? Are officials hiding some shortcomings in their work by blaming foreign factors?

Zhao Lijian: I noted that at the press conference on the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic held in Beijing yesterday, the relevant Chinese officials introduced the relevant situation regarding the recent attack on Beijing Health Treasure from abroad. Not only that, during the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Beijing Jianbao has also suffered similar cyber attacks, and these attacks have been effectively handled. China will continue to do a good job in network security protection and serve to ensure the overall situation of epidemic prevention in the capital.

Regarding your accusation that China's disclosure of these so-called attacks is a transfer of ineffective epidemic prevention work, I think this is your own vain speculation. There is no need for China to do this, let alone do so.

CNBC: Today, China and the Caribbean countries that have established diplomatic relations held a foreign ministers' meeting. Could the Spokesperson provide further information?

Zhao Lijian: This morning, the foreign ministers' meeting between China and the Caribbean for the establishment of diplomatic relations was held by video. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Acting Prime Minister of Dominica Austri co-chaired the meeting, and all nine Caribbean countries that have established diplomatic relations with China attended. The participants reviewed the 50 years of experience in opening diplomatic relations between China and Canada, had an in-depth exchange of views on building a closer China-Canada community of common destiny, and expressed full confidence in the future of China-Canada relations.

State Councilor Wang Yi stressed at the meeting that all parties agreed that over the past 50 years, especially since President Xi Jinping's visit to the Caribbean in 2013, the China-Canada comprehensive cooperative partnership has continued to deepen, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, setting an example of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development among countries. All parties agreed to take the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to jointly push China-Canada relations to a new level. State Councilor Wang Yi put forward four proposals for building a higher level of China-Canada partnership: jointly promote peaceful development, jointly draw up a blueprint for the development of China-Canada relations, jointly deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly continue people-to-people friendship.

The participants formed a six-point important consensus. The first is to enhance political mutual trust, continue to support each other on issues involving each other's core interests, and advocate and practice genuine multilateralism. The second is to jointly promote post-epidemic economic recovery, promote the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" to go deeper and more concrete, work together to promote the implementation of global development initiatives, and promote the quality and upgrading of pragmatic cooperation such as fungus and grass. The third is to strengthen anti-epidemic and medical cooperation, improve public health governance, and build a China-Canada health community. China will continue to provide anti-epidemic materials and vaccines to Caribbean countries. The fourth is to establish a pattern of people-to-people exchanges with diversified interactions. China will increase the number of scholarships to the governments of Caribbean countries. Fifth, work together to address the challenge of climate change. The Chinese side decided to set up a China-Caribbean disaster prevention and mitigation fund. Sixth, further strengthen China-Canada policy communication.

The Participating Caribbean countries welcomed and supported President Xi Jinping's global development initiative and global security initiative, thanked China for its long-term selfless assistance to the economic and social development of Caribbean countries, and said that China has become a trusted and important partner of Caribbean countries. The Canadian side firmly supports the one-China principle, supports China in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, and supports the great cause of China's reunification.

Hubei Radio and Television Station: Today marks the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and dealing with Japan's abandonment of chemical weapons in China is one of the important tasks. Can the spokesperson tell us about the progress?

Zhao Lijian: Japan's abandonment of chemical weapons in China is one of the serious crimes committed by Japanese militarism during the war of aggression against China, and has long seriously threatened and endangered the lives and property of the people in relevant areas of China and the safety of the ecological environment. China has always attached great importance to this issue and has always urged the Japanese side to destroy the chemical weapons left behind in China at an early and clean date in accordance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the memorandum between the Chinese and Japanese governments.

According to statistics, with the assistance of the Chinese side, the Japanese side has safely excavated and recovered more than 90,000 Pieces of Chemical Weapons left behind by Japan and destroyed more than 60,000 pieces. At the same time, we must see that it has been 77 years since the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and it has been 25 years since the chemical weapons convention entered into force, but the destruction of chemical weapons left behind in China and Japan is still far from complete. Japan's implementation of the treaty cannot satisfy the Chinese and Japanese peoples and the international community. The Chinese side has repeatedly expressed its serious concerns and made solemn demands to the Japanese side in this regard.

I would like to stress once again that the early clean and thorough destruction of the chemical weapons left behind in China concerns the political and legal commitment of the Japanese side to China and the international community, and is also the historical and practical responsibility of the Japanese side. China strongly urges the Japanese side to attach great importance to it, further increase investment, make every effort to speed up the destruction process, and atone for historical guilt and fulfill its international obligations.

ROK United Cable News: The ROK Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese government's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, will visit the ROK next week. Can you reveal the schedule and purpose of his visit and more details? Will there be a meeting with President-elect Yoon Seok-wook's team?

Zhao Lijian: Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting the political settlement process of the Korean Peninsula issue conform to the common interests of regional countries, including China and the ROK. Recently, Special Representative Liu Xiaoming is visiting relevant countries to exchange views on the Korean Peninsula issue. As we all know, he has visited many countries and has been out for many days. About Mr. Liu's visit to Korea, I can ask my colleagues about it. If there is news, we will release it in a timely manner. Thank you for your interest in this matter.

Agence France-Presse (AFP): According to a survey by the Pew Research Center in the United States, more than 80 percent of the country's population holds a negative view of China, a record high. What is China's comment on this? What is the reason why China believes that more and more Americans are opposed to China? Do you think that this can be attributed to some extent to some of China's remarks and actions in recent years?

Zhao Lijian: I have noted the relevant report. There have been many recent investigation reports on Sino-US relations. I have also noted that some reports show that a significant number of Americans believe that Sino-US exchanges should be maintained. According to the 2022 U.S. Exports Report, U.S. exports to China created about 860,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2020 alone. So, where does China's threat begin?

I would also like to stress that the people of China and the United States have always cherished friendly feelings, and the friendship between the two peoples has always been the source of living water and an important foundation for the development of bilateral relations. Recently, Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang visited several states in the Midwest. During his visit, in addition to meeting with officials in some states, he also visited some universities, went to some think tanks and schools, and had extensive and in-depth exchanges with officials, scholars, students, ordinary people, and peasants in these states. As you should also see, he tried driving a tractor while visiting a farm. When recalling this visit, he said that the feelings between the Chinese and AMERICAN peoples are very sincere, and the friendly exchanges between the two peoples are a magnificent driving force for the advancement of Sino-US relations.

Just now you mentioned a new poll released by the Pew Center, and the negative views of respondents on China have reached a record high. I think the reason behind this is precisely the shameless attack on China by some POLITICIANS in the United States who unscrupulously and bottomlessly. It is they, as well as some media in the United States, who follow the trend and spread rumors, and some think tanks that follow the trend to smear China. Out of ideological prejudice and their own political self-interest, these anti-China forces wantonly provoke Confrontation and Division between China and the United States and spread a large number of political viruses, which has seriously poisoned the public opinion atmosphere of the two countries.

We hope that the media reporters present here, including you, will conform to the trend of the times and the aspirations of the people, give more positive energy, better play their role as a bridge to enhance mutual understanding and trust between the Chinese and American peoples, do more to add points to Sino-US relations, and serve less as a tool for those bottomless US politicians to slander and smear China.

Shenzhen Satellite TV: The spokesman of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a news conference a few days ago that there has been no progress in the return of Indian students to China. What is China's consideration for arrangements for Indian students to return to China?

Zhao Lijian: Thank you for your attention to this matter. I have also noticed that journalists from India have also been very concerned about this matter recently. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the concerns of Indian students returning to China and has shared with the Indian side the operational procedures and experience of international students from other countries returning to China. The work of returning Indian students to China has actually started, and only the List of International Students who need to return to China will be submitted to the Chinese side. The Chinese side understands that the number of Indian students is large, and the Indian side needs some time to collect. In short, China is ready to accept some Indian students to return to China.

I would like to emphasize that the current epidemic situation is severe and complex, and foreign students studying in China need to be coordinated and promoted in combination with the changes in the international epidemic situation and the characteristics of students' professional learning. This principle applies equally to all foreign students.

Press Trust of India: I am very happy to hear this question from the Chinese reporter, and I am also very happy that the Chinese side is considering this issue and asked the Indian side to provide a list of students returning to China. So does China have a specific timetable for opening up, for example, maybe next month, or two months later? In this way, students returning to China can make some preparations in advance.

Zhao Lijian: I don't have the specific information you asked. Of course, we are very concerned about the return of all international students, including Indian students, to China. These international students, including those from India, are ambassadors of friendly exchanges between China and relevant countries. After they return from studying in China, they may become journalists, and they may become ambassadors and diplomats of these countries in China in the future. They carry the future of bilateral relations.

China has always attached great importance to and fully understood their urgent desire to return to China and resume their studies. We noticed that there are also a lot of scholarship students among them. The Chinese government's financial support for them is to enable them to succeed in their future studies, to become a bridge of friendship between the two countries, and to add strength to the friendship between the two countries.

With regard to the specific issue you mentioned, I am confident that we will work to facilitate these students through existing channels such as embassies.

Indian Broadcasting Corporation: People-to-people exchanges are indeed an important part of bilateral relations. I am very happy to hear that the Chinese side is ready to accept Indian students back to China. I would like to ask, when the Indian side prepared this list, did the Chinese side put forward specific criteria? For example, which majors can be given priority? Or is it that the Indian side can decide on its own to be the first batch of students to return to China?

Zhao Lijian: My answer may disappoint you. I don't know, nor do I know the details you asked. I believe that these details will be communicated through our existing channels, through our embassies. We have to do good things.

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This Sunday, we will usher in the "May Day" International Labor Day. According to this year's holiday arrangement, the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference will be suspended from May 2 (Monday) to Wednesday 4 and resumed on May 5 (Thursday). During the intersessional period, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Office will accept faxes, emails or WeChat questions from journalists as usual.

The current situation of prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is still grim. During the "May Day" period, a large number of medical personnel, public security police, community workers, courier brothers, volunteers, etc. will still be fighting in the frontline of epidemic prevention and control. It is their selfless perseverance and hard work that allow us to hold a press conference with peace of mind and allow us to enjoy the "May Day" holiday safely. We would like to salute them and express our heartfelt thanks to them!

"May Day" International Labor Day is also a festival for workers all over the world, labor has created the beauty and happiness of mankind, and workers are the most beautiful people. Finally, I wish you all a happy May Day in advance!