Phoenix TV: The Foreign Ministry just announced on its website the decision to take countermeasures against 13 US military companies and six senior executives. Do you have further comment on this?

Lin Jian: The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests. In recent months, the US has announced multiple arms sales to China’s Taiwan region. This gravely violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, interferes in China’s internal affairs, and undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People’s Republic of China, China decided to take countermeasures against relevant military companies and senior executives of the US. 

Let me stress that “Taiwan independence” is as incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait as fire with water. The US attempts to assist in the “Taiwan independence” agenda by arming Taiwan. This will not shake our firm resolve to oppose “Taiwan independence” and realize national reunification, and will only push Taiwan towards military danger.

China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982, act on the US leaders’ commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence,” stop arming Taiwan at once, and stop abetting and aiding separatists’ attempt to seek “Taiwan independence” through military buildup.

People’s Daily: We noted that at the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held yesterday in Asunción, Paraguay, UNESCO inscribed China-nominated “Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year,” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. What’s your comment? 

Lin Jian: Warm congratulations on the inscription of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. The Spring Festival is the oldest and the most important traditional festival in the Chinese culture. The festival is always a time for family reunion and ringing in the new year. We have many Spring Festival traditions such as writing the character Fu which means good fortune, hanging Spring Festival couplets, making dumplings and watching dragon dance and lion dance performances, which I believe many of you are familiar with.

The Spring Festival embodies peace, amity and harmony which are values cherished by the Chinese nation and civilization, which makes it a festival that is meaningful for China and can be enjoyed by the world. The festival is a public holiday in almost 20 countries and celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity. Last year, the 78th UN General Assembly decided to list the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday.

In about six weeks, we will celebrate the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake. We welcome all journalists here and friends from all over the world to come and experience the rich and wonderful Spring Festival culture. We very much hope that the festival’s cultural message will contribute to a world of fewer conflicts, harmony among civilizations, and amity between peoples of the world. Hope the Spring Festival will be a moment of joyfulness shared by all.

EFE: The government of Venezuela announced that the country’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has arrived in Beijing. According to Venezuela, he is scheduled to meet with several Chinese officials. Can you share the detailed arrangements of the visit and the current situation of the China-Venezuela relations?

Lin Jian: China and Venezuela are all-weather strategic partners. In September last year, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro paid a state visit to China, and President Xi Jinping and President Nicolás Maduro had productive talks, which charted the course for the growth of the bilateral relations. 

China welcomes the visit by Vice President Rodríguez and hopes that the visit will further galvanize effort to deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, carry on the traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation in various areas, and provide new impetus for the development of the China-Venezuela all-weather strategic partnership for the benefit of the two peoples. On the details of the visit, we will release information in due course.

Kyodo News: Japanese media reported that Japanese foreign minister will pay an official visit to China at the end of this month. Are the two sides having talks over the meeting between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers and what’s your expectation for the visit?

Lin Jian: China attaches importance to dialogue and communication with Japan in various fields and at various levels. We stand ready to work with Japan to jointly improve and grow bilateral relations. On the visit you mentioned, I have nothing to share at the moment.

AFP: Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te spoke with US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson over the phone yesterday. Does China have a comment on this phone call?

Lin Jian: In recent weeks, we have made clear our serious opposition more than once to the US’s arranging for Lai Ching-te’s “stopovers” and having official interactions with the Taiwan region. Let me stress once again that the Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. We urge the US to fully understand the grave damage that “Taiwan independence” separatist activities do to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, act on the US leaders’ commitments, including not supporting “Taiwan independence,” stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop sending any wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. China will take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Global Times: On December 3, BBC’s so-called investigation claims that tomato purées sold by several UK supermarkets appear to contain tomatoes grown and picked in Xinjiang using forced labor. BBC also released a video clip to try to prove that so-called “forced labor” is used for Xinjiang tomatoes and call on Western countries to stop using Xinjiang tomato or its product. Can I have your comment on that? 

Lin Jian: Again, as we have made very clear before, there’s no “forced labor” in Xinjiang. The Chinese government stands firmly against forced labor and has taken tough measures against it. Xinjiang tomatoes, like Xinjiang cotton, are known and enjoyed throughout the world for their high quality. The farming process of tomatoes and cotton in Xinjiang has largely been mechanized already—over 90% of the tomatoes and over 85% of the cotton in Xinjiang are now harvested by machines. How could there be “forced labor?”

Journalism lives in its truthfulness. To say no to disinformation and bias is a primary ethic of journalism. This is also a basic quality for any news outlet that wants to do fair and objective reporting. In the BBC story, a lot of the so-called “evidence” came from what the interviewees “heard” or “felt.” The reporting is based on preconceived assumptions and jumped to the “forced labor” conclusion without verifying the assumptions and by taking words out of context. The reporters went to the trouble of spending months studying nearly 20 tomato purées, but would not spend even one minute learning about the reality in Xinjiang. This is typical double standard with deep bias.

In recent years, “forced labor” has become a convenient false narrative for some to create media hypes and attack Xinjiang. Their self-directed, well-scripted productions contain so-called “testimonies” and “reports” from dubious sources. Last week, the story was on Xinjiang cotton. This week, it’s on Xinjiang tomatoes. So what will it be next week? Xinjiang solar energy? Xinjiang carrots? Or Xinjiang mutton and beef? Whatever the disinformation, it will not change the high quality of Xinjiang products, nor will it make Xinjiang a less prosperous and stable place. We hope readers will see through this “forced labor” narrative. And we welcome people to go to Xinjiang, try the tomatoes and experience Xinjiang as it is.

AFP: Just a question on South Korea, I wonder if China has any further comments on the situation there, including the brief period of martial law and maybe more specifically how does China see the political situation in the South relating to the stability of the Korean Peninsula more broadly?

Lin Jian: China noted relevant events. We will not comment on the ROK’s domestic affairs. China’s position on the Korean Peninsula issue remains unchanged.

China News Service: The event of “MFA Presenting Hainan Free Trade Port to the World” was successfully held yesterday. Can you share more with us on that?

Lin Jian: Yesterday, the “MFA Presenting Hainan Free Trade Port to the World” event was successfully held at Lanting under the theme of “Local Practices of Chinese Modernization—Hainan Free Trade Port: New Era, New Mission, New Opportunities”. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi addressed the event. The Foreign Ministry has released readouts on the event. I believe many of your outlets were there to cover the event.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted at the event that the Hainan Free Trade Port is a strategic initiative brought forward by President Xi Jinping personally to advance reform and opening up in the new era. Today’s Hainan Free Trade Port has become a new frontier of China’s institutional opening up, a new promising place for mutually beneficial cooperation in the region, and a new powerhouse for economic globalization. We will remain committed to open development by advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and implementing the Global Development Initiative. We will remain committed to innovation-driven development and work to bring more benefit of global innovation outcomes to the Global South. We will remain committed to green development and never waver in our participation in the global response to climate change. We will remain committed to inclusive development and take active effort to implement the Global Civilization Initiative. We will remain committed to peaceful development and actively deliver on the Global Security Initiative. 

To choose China is to choose opportunity, and to embrace China is to embrace the future. At the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting last month, President Xi Jinping again put forward what China believes should be the way forward—pursuing open development, true multilateralism and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. The Hainan Free Trade Port is a name card of China’s reform and opening up in the new era. We welcome you to go to Hainan to experience the robustness and dynamism of China’s reform and opening up. And we welcome all parties to board the express train of China’s development, partner with China for economic success, and achieve modernization aimed at peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity together. 

AFP: The mutual defense treaty between Russia and North Korea apparently came into force yesterday. Does China have any comment on the treaty?

Lin Jian: It is a matter between Russia and the DPRK as two sovereign states.

Shenzhen TV: We noted that China officially launched the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building at the UN. Can you share more details with us?

Lin Jian: On December 3, China and Zambia jointly held the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building at the UN headquarters in New York to announce the official launch of the Group. Representatives from 80 countries, including Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Russia, the US, France and the UK attended the meeting. As a follow-up action of the UN resolution on AI capacity-building, the Group’s launch demonstrates China’s commitment to the inclusive development of AI for the benefit of all.

The rapid AI development and iteration opens up vast opportunities for countries’ economic and social development. At the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, President Xi Jinping stressed that we should step up international governance and cooperation on AI, to make sure that AI is for good and for all, not a game of the rich countries and the wealthy. This is what China stands for and an aspiration shared by the Global South.

The Group of Friends will provide a platform for international exchange and cooperation on AI capacity-building at the UN, the most universal, authoritative and representative inter-governmental international organization. We welcome countries to join and take part in activities of the Group of Friends, jointly implement the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, build international consensus, expand practical cooperation, bridge AI gaps, and provide strong impetus for the global effort towards the sustainable development goals.