Wang Yi was interviewed by Qatar's Al Jazeera News Network

A few days ago, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, was interviewed by Qatar Al Jazeera News Network, and the full text of the interview is as follows:

1. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at the recent press conference of the National People's Congress, you focused on the Gaza conflict. What measures will China take to promote an immediate ceasefire in Gaza?

A: The prolongation of the conflict in Gaza has led to a humanitarian catastrophe that should not have occurred, which has exceeded the bottom line of modern civilization. Over the past six months, the conflict has caused more than 100,000 casualties and displaced millions of people, and the international community must act urgently.

It is imperative that a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities be pursued as soon as possible, which is the overriding priority. The more the war lasts, the more the conscience of mankind will be challenged, and the more the foundation of justice will be eroded. With the joint efforts of all parties, the UN Security Council recently adopted the first ceasefire resolution since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, which is binding and should be effectively implemented to achieve an immediate and unconditional and lasting ceasefire.

Second, it is a moral imperative to ensure the unimpeded flow of humanitarian access at all times. From the very beginning of the conflict, China has firmly opposed the forced relocation of Palestinian civilians and the collective punishment of the people in Gaza, actively supported the establishment of a humanitarian relief mechanism as soon as possible, and continued to provide humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. In the next step, China will continue to work with the international community to focus all efforts on implementing the ceasefire resolution, protecting civilians, and ensuring the rapid, safe, barrier-free and sustainable delivery of humanitarian relief supplies to the people of Gaza.

Thirdly, it is necessary to prevent the continued spillover of the negative impact of the conflict, which is a practical need to avoid the situation in the region getting out of control. The recent escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel is the latest manifestation of the spillover from the Gaza conflict. China calls on the parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalation of tensions. China will continue to proceed from the merits of the matter, actively work to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, and contribute to the de-escalation of the situation.

Fourthly, the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people must be redressed in a timely manner, which is the root cause of the conflict in Gaza. The catastrophe in Gaza proves once again that the Palestinian people's persistent failure to realize their legitimate national rights is the root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli problem and the core of the Middle East problem. Only by truly giving justice to the Palestinian people, truly implementing the two-state solution, and politically resolving the legitimate security concerns of all parties can we get out of the vicious circle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, eradicate the soil that breeds extremist ideology and hatred at the root, and achieve lasting peace in the region.

China is ready to continue to work with the international community, including all countries in the Middle East, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, firmly support the promotion of internal reconciliation among Palestinian factions through dialogue, firmly support Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations as soon as possible, and firmly support the Palestinian people in realizing independence and statehood and "Palestinians governing Palestine". We propose the convening of a larger-scale, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference as soon as possible, formulate a concrete timetable and road map for the implementation of the two-state solution, promote an early, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, and ultimately realize the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples, Palestine and Israel, and the harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish peoples.

2. China's Ministry of National Defense has announced the dispatch of a fleet of hundreds of officers and soldiers to escort the freighter. Against this background, how do you see the escalation of the situation in the Red Sea?

A: The waters of the Red Sea are important international cargo and energy transport corridors, and maintaining peace and tranquility in the Red Sea is conducive to maintaining the smooth flow of global production and supply chains and international trade order, and is in the common interests of regional countries and the international community. China is deeply concerned about the continuous escalation of tensions in the Red Sea for some time, which has had a negative impact on the vital interests of countries in the region, especially those littoral countries in the Red Sea, increased overall security risks in the region, and dragged down the recovery of the world economy.

China's position on the situation in the Red Sea is very clear, which can be summarized in four points:

First, attacks on civilian vessels that have harassed the Red Sea should cease and should not be justified for attacking civilians for any reason;

Second, the international community should jointly safeguard the safety of navigation in the Red Sea waters in accordance with the law, and all parties should play a constructive role in easing tensions in the Red Sea.

Third, the root cause of the escalation of the situation in the Red Sea is the conflict in Gaza, and a ceasefire and cessation of fighting should be achieved in Gaza as soon as possible to curb the spillover and expansion of the conflict at the source.

Fourth, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries bordering the Red Sea, including Yemen, should be earnestly safeguarded.

Since the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea, China has maintained communication with all parties and made positive efforts to ease tensions in the Red Sea. China attaches great importance to the legitimate aspirations of countries in the region, especially those bordering the Red Sea, and is ready to strengthen coordination with countries in the region and work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in restoring peace and tranquility in the Red Sea at an early date.

It must be noted that the escort operations being carried out by the Chinese Navy ship formations have nothing to do with the current situation in the Red Sea. This is an escort mission authorized by the UN Security Council to carry out in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. Since 2008, the Chinese Navy has dispatched 45 escort groups with a total of more than 150 vessels, which have successfully completed tasks such as driving away pirates and providing humanitarian relief, and have made positive contributions to safeguarding the safety of navigation in relevant waters. China will continue to implement the Global Security Initiative, safeguard the security of international sea lanes, and make unremitting efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind with concrete actions.

3. China has repeatedly called for the convening of an international peace conference to resolve the Ukraine crisis through negotiations. As Russia's primary strategic partner, what kind of mediating role will China play in the negotiations, and will China exert pressure on Russia to end the war?

A: On the Ukraine crisis, China's position is consistent, clear and transparent. China is not a party to the conflict or a crisis-maker, but it has never stood idly by. Over the past two years since the crisis escalated, China has been campaigning for a ceasefire and working hard to end the war. President Xi Jinping personally communicated with the leaders of various countries, including Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing that peace talks are the only feasible way out, and hoped that all parties would work together to accumulate conditions for a political settlement of the crisis through dialogue. China has also issued a special position paper and sent special envoys to relevant countries on several occasions to mediate and convey information, clarify positions, and promote all parties to seek common ground while reserving differences and build consensus.

At present, there is still a danger that this crisis will further deteriorate and escalate, and the international community should strengthen its solidarity, pool its efforts for peace, and take concrete actions to de-escalate the conflict.

We must always adhere to a political solution. Any conflict and war does not end on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table. China supports the convening of an international conference at an appropriate time that is recognized by Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties and on a fair basis for the discussion of all peace options, so as to achieve a ceasefire and cease the fighting at an early date.

We must always adhere to objectivity and fairness. There is no silver bullet to resolve the crisis, and all parties need to start with themselves and create conditions for peace talks to stop the war by building mutual trust. It is necessary to resolutely oppose taking advantage of the chaos to reap profits and adding fuel to the fire, still less can we fight one faction and pull the other faction and engage in bloc confrontation.

We must always insist on treating both the symptoms and the root causes. To get to the root of the problem, we need to think more deeply about security. Blindly pursuing exclusive and absolute security and wantonly squeezing the security space of other countries will inevitably lead to regional imbalances and trigger conflicts.

China is ready to work with the international community to uphold the concept of the indivisible security of all countries, advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all parties, support the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture, jointly play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis, and make more contributions to maintaining long-term peace and stability in the region and achieving lasting peace in the world.

Fourth, on the Taiwan issue. We have noted that there is concern about whether the Chinese government will take military action against China's Taiwan region. Against the backdrop of the current close relations between the Taiwan region and the United States, and the continuous arms sales of the United States to the Taiwan region, how do you assess the situation in the Taiwan Strait?

A: Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. In 1943, the governments of China, the United States, and Britain jointly issued the "Cairo Declaration", which clearly stipulated that Taiwan stolen by Japan should be returned to China. Article 8 of the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation, which aimed to end World War II, stated that "the provisions of the Cairo Declaration shall be implemented". UN Resolution 2758 also reaffirms the one-China principle. This series of documents with international legal force constitutes an integral part of the post-war international order and consolidates the historical and legal foundation of Taiwan as China's inalienable territory. Therefore, the Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affair, and how to realize the reunification of the motherland is the affairs of the Chinese on both sides of the strait. We will do our utmost and strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity. At the same time, our bottom line is also clear, that is, we will never allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China in any way.

At present, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is generally stable, but it is also facing severe challenges. Among them, the biggest challenge comes from the separatist activities of the "Taiwan independence" forces and the interference and sabotage of external forces. The "Taiwan independence" forces are the troublemakers and biggest saboteurs of stability in the Taiwan Strait. If we want to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, we must resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence." Some countries keep calling for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but secretly step up the delivery of weapons and equipment to "Taiwan independence" separatists, which will only increase the risk of conflict and confrontation and seriously threaten peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. China will not allow interference and sabotage by external forces. No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will, and strong ability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the realization of the complete reunification of the motherland is the aspiration of the people, the trend of the times, and the necessity of history, and cannot be stopped by any force. China will eventually achieve complete reunification, and Taiwan will certainly return to the embrace of the motherland. We also firmly believe that the international community, including Middle Eastern countries, will continue to uphold the one-China principle and support the Chinese people's just cause of opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and striving for national reunification.

5. Regarding the U.S. election and China-US relations, how does China view the U.S. election and how does it look forward to the prospects of China-US relations?

A: China-US relations are related to the well-being of the two peoples, as well as the future of mankind and the world. In November last year, President Xi Jinping was invited to meet with President Biden in San Francisco and agreed on the future-oriented "San Francisco Vision". China's attitude towards improving China-US relations is sincere, and a predictable, sustainable, healthy and stable China-US relationship is a blessing for the two peoples and a blessing for the people of the world.

At the same time, we have seen that the US side's erroneous perception of China is still continuing, and the erroneous policy of containing China is still advancing. Recently, the US has continued to woo its so-called allies, instigated and instigated the maritime situation in the region, accelerated the development of a containment system against China, continued to escalate unilateral sanctions, and engaged in a large-scale technological blockade against China. The US cannot always view the world from a Cold War perspective and a zero-sum mentality, and cannot always say one thing and do another. The eyes of the people of all countries are clear, and the people of the Middle East know even more clearly who is on the right side of history and morality. What China brings to the world is cooperation, development, stability and win-win results. China's development and rejuvenation has a huge endogenous driving force and inevitable historical logic, which cannot be stopped by any force.

The U.S. election is an internal affair of the United States, and China has never and will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. No matter who is elected as the next US president, the people of China and the United States will still have exchanges and cooperation, and the two major countries must find the right way to get along. President Xi Jinping put forward the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, which are the basic principles and direction of our efforts to view and handle China-US relations. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with President Biden at the invitation of the United States, and once again pointed out that China and the United States, two major countries, cannot refrain from contacting each other, let alone conflict and confrontation, and should adhere to the principle of valuing peace, stability and trust.

Sino-US relations cannot go back to the past, but they should be able to have a good future. China is ready to work with the US to do more good things for win-win cooperation, do more important things that benefit the world, and earnestly shoulder their respective international responsibilities.