Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited the EU headquarters for China-EU diplomatic strategic consultations
On April 29, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu went to the EU headquarters to hold a China-EU diplomatic strategic consultation with the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Gianluca Sanino.
Ma Zhaoxu had an in-depth exchange of views with the European side on China-EU relations, the international situation and regional hotspot issues. Ma Zhaoxu stressed that China and the EU are important forces for safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. China is ready to work with the EU to implement the outcomes of the China-EU Summit, strengthen dialogue at all levels and practical cooperation in various fields, enhance understanding and mutual trust, and promote the sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
The EU side expressed its commitment to building stable and constructive EU-China relations, and is willing to strengthen strategic communication, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, properly manage differences, uphold multilateralism, and jointly address global challenges.
Ma Zhaoxu also met with Bernard, director of the Office of the President of the European Council.
Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu met with Kazakh Ambassador to China Nuryshev
On April 30, 2024, Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu met with Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China Nuryshev. The two sides exchanged views on China-Kazakhstan relations and China's foreign policy. Miao Deyu said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev, the China-Kazakhstan Permanent Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has entered a "golden period" of rapid development. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to deepen all-round mutually beneficial cooperation and build a closer China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future, guided by the consensus reached by the two heads of state and with high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as the main line. Nuryshev said that China is a priority for Kazakhstan's diplomacy. Kazakhstan highly agrees with China's foreign policies and ideas, and is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, deepen cooperation in various fields, and create new highlights of cooperation in high-tech fields.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian on April 30, 2024
Presided over the regular press conference
At the invitation of President Barrow of the Gambia, Zheng Jianbang, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will attend the 15th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Banjul from May 4 to 5.
CCTV: According to some sources, the Fatah and Hamas factions in Palestine recently held consultations in Beijing on intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Can you elaborate on that?
Lin Jian: At the invitation of the Chinese side, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) came to Beijing for consultations and had in-depth and candid dialogues on advancing intra-Palestinian reconciliation. The two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed and made positive progress on many specific issues, and agreed to continue the process of dialogue and strive to achieve Palestinian unity and reunification at an early date. The two sides highly appreciated China's firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, thanked China for its efforts to promote the strengthening of Palestinian internal unity, and reached agreement on the idea of the next step of dialogue.
Beijing Daily: We are concerned that the 2024 Beijing International Auto Exhibition is in full swing, with many well-known international auto companies including BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan appearing at the Beijing Auto Show, showing their high preference for the Chinese market. Do you have any comment?
Lin Jian: A few days ago, more than 1,500 Chinese and foreign enterprises gathered at the Beijing International Auto Show, and a number of internationally renowned car companies brought new products and new technologies to the show. According to the data, 278 new energy models were launched at the Beijing Auto Show, and 117 were world premieres, of which 30 were global premieres of multinational companies. We also note that Volkswagen and BMW have recently announced additional investments in China, totaling 5 billion euros, to increase investment in electrified and intelligent vehicle manufacturing. These facts and figures not only show that global car companies are optimistic about the growth potential of China's large market, but also reflect the confidence of all parties in China's development prospects, and are also the best refutation of the so-called "China's overcapacity theory".
As Premier Li Qiang pointed out when investigating the Beijing Auto Show, the current Chinese and global new energy vehicle markets are continuing to grow, and there is huge demand space. To a certain extent, intelligent networked new energy vehicles are also the product of global industrial cooperation, and the future development requires all parties to give full play to their advantages and deepen the division of labor and cooperation. China will further promote the construction of a unified national market, expand high-level opening-up, continue to relax market access, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, treat domestic and foreign-funded enterprises equally, promote Chinese and foreign car companies to carry out more extensive exchanges and cooperation in capital, technology, management and talent, share the opportunities of the Chinese market, and achieve common development and mutual benefit in the scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation.
We believe that the pace of enterprises from all over the world to invest in China, increase their weight in China, and deepen their cultivation in China will not stop. China's efforts to provide a better business environment and stronger comprehensive support for foreign companies will not slow down. China's door to opening up will only widen.
CRI: We noted that the China Wildlife Conservation Association recently released the information on individual giant pandas that they plan to visit the San Diego Zoo in the United States. Can you tell us more about the new round of cooperation between China and the United States in giant panda conservation?
Lin Jian: It is understood that according to the agreement signed by China and the United States in February this year, the giant pandas Yunchuan and Xinbao of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda have been selected to go to the San Diego Zoo in the United States. Experts from China and the United States have carried out several on-site assessments and exchanges, and will actively make preparations in accordance with the requirements and technical standards of international conservation cooperation of giant pandas, so as to fully protect the health and safety of giant pandas in the United States.
The San Diego Zoo is the first institution in the United States to conduct cooperative research on giant pandas with China. During the cooperation period, the two sides jointly carried out research on giant panda field protection, breeding and breeding, disease prevention and control, disease treatment, etc., jointly overcame a series of technical problems, and successfully bred a total of 6 litters and 6 cubs, which played a positive role in improving the overall level of giant panda conservation, promoting people-to-people ties between the two countries, and enhancing people-to-people friendship.
This cooperation will focus on the prevention and control of major giant panda diseases, the protection of giant panda habitats and wild populations, and contribute to the construction of China's giant panda national parks. It is believed that with the in-depth development of the Sino-US cooperative research project on giant panda conservation, the cooperation and research capacity in the field of endangered species and biodiversity conservation will be further improved, and positive contributions will be made to the conservation of endangered species and the promotion of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.
Iraq Rudao TV: In the past, infrastructure in many parts of Iraq has been attacked. On April 26, the Komur oil and gas field in Sulaymaniyah province in Iraq's Kurdistan region was attacked for the first time. In the aftermath of the attack, is China concerned about the safety of institutions and enterprises in Iraq, including that they will be targeted?
Lin Jian: China is concerned about the attack on an oil and gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region and expresses its condolences to the victims. China is ready to work with Iran to safeguard the safety of China's institutions, projects and personnel in Iraq. Xinhua News Agency: According to reports, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern to China about the consequences of China's overcapacity on the global economy during his visit to China. Blinken said that the issue of "overcapacity" in China's manufacturing industry is now "front and center" of the U.S.-China relationship, "It's a movie we've seen, and we know how it ended — U.S. businesses closed and workers lost their jobs." Lin Jian: During Secretary Blinken's visit to China, China made clear its position on this. The US hype about the so-called "China's overcapacity" seems to be talking about economic issues, but in fact it is absurd and unorthodox, which runs counter to the basic principle of Western economics for more than 200 years, which is comparative advantage. It is the essence of international trade that each country produces and exports products in which it has a comparative advantage. If production exceeds the needs of the country, it is called overcapacity, and it is required to reduce production capacity, so what else can be used to carry out trade between countries? China's electric vehicle exports account for 12% of the output, which is said to be overcapacity, so 80% of Germany's auto production, Japan's 50%, and the United States' 25% of the country's automobile production are exported, isn't it more serious overcapacity? What's more, according to the International Energy Agency's calculations, to achieve the global carbon neutrality goal, the world's demand for new energy vehicles will reach 45 million in 2030, 4.5 times that of 2022. The fact that the US is clearly violating common sense of economics and the facts of industrial development has also labeled China as "overcapacity", which fully shows that the so-called "overcapacity" of the US side is not a conclusion defined by the market, but a false narrative and pan-politicized cognitive manipulation created by the United States, with the aim of curbing China's high-quality development and depriving China of its right to legitimate development. The real "excess" is not China's production capacity, but the anxiety of the United States' lack of self-confidence and all kinds of smears against China. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous and developing United States, and hopes that the United States will also take a positive view of China's development. We urge the US to put into practice its statement that it does not seek to contain China's economic development and has no intention of preventing China's scientific and technological progress, stop hyping up the false narrative of "China's overcapacity", stop using unfair and non-market means to suppress the development of China's new energy industry, and stop undermining the joint efforts of global green transformation and development. Reuters: I have two questions. On the first question, the Chinese Coast Guard said it had today driven away Philippine coast guard vessels and official vessels that had intruded into the waters adjacent to Scarborough Shoal. Second question, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with President Xi Jinping in Paris. Lin Jian: On your first question, Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. Philippine coast guard vessels and official vessels have intruded into the waters of Huangyan Dao without China's consent, seriously violating China's sovereignty. The China Coast Guard has taken necessary measures to resolutely expel them in accordance with the law. China advises the Philippines to immediately stop its abusive and provocative actions and refrain from challenging China's firm determination to safeguard its sovereignty. On your second question, since last year, China and the EU have fully resumed face-to-face exchanges at all levels and fully activated dialogue and cooperation in various fields, and China-EU relations have shown a good momentum of stability and upward progress, which is in line with the interests of both sides and the expectations of the international community. China-EU relations are of strategic significance and global influence, and are related to world peace, stability and prosperity. In the face of the current turbulent international situation, China and the EU should establish correct mutual understanding, enhance understanding and trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome interference and difficulties, properly manage differences, and work together to address global challenges. During his visit to France, President Xi Jinping will hold a trilateral meeting between the leaders of China, France and Europe with President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. China is ready to work with France and the EU to take this trilateral meeting as an opportunity to further enhance the strategic, stable, constructive and mutually beneficial nature of China-EU relations, promote steady progress and long-term development of China-EU relations, and make positive contributions to China-EU development and world peace. Bloomberg: Follow-up to your question about the South China Sea. The Philippine side said three Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at two Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, damaging one of the Philippine vessels. Do you have any comment on the damage to the Philippine vessel? Lin Jian: I have just answered the relevant question. I would like to point out that the China Coast Guard has taken necessary measures in accordance with the law, and the on-site operation is dedicated