On March 3, 2009, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang held a regular press conference and answered questions mainly on the auction of Yuanmingyuan bronze sculptures, US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Bosworth’s visit to China and etc.
Qin Gang: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We may start now.
Q: Yesterday, a Chinese collector unveiled himself as the secret buyer of Yuanmingyuan bronze sculptures at the Christie’s auction, but he refused to pay. The Chinese Government has denied any involvement in the auction. Then what do you think is the purpose of this buyer? Do you approve of his behavior?
A: About the relevant individual’s engagement in the auction of Yuanmingyuan bronze sculptures, neither I nor competent cultural authorities knew anything about it till yesterday’s press briefing by the relevant fund. I would not comment on this unofficial behavior. My colleagues and competent Chinese cultural authorities have stated China’s attitude and position on many occasions.
Q: There will be a NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in the Brussels Thursday, after which China may be asked to assist NATO with its military efforts in Afghanistan, for instance, by opening a logistics route. Under what conditions will China allow its territory to be used? And has China had any preliminary discussion with the US or other parties about this?
A: I’m not aware of the relevant meeting of NATO. On the Afghanistan issue, as a close neighbor, China hopes to see constant progress in the country’s peace reconstruction, political reconciliation and realization of peace, stability and development.
Q: I’ve got two questions. Firstly, how do you comment on the auction winner refusing to pay? Secondly, it’s said that China has canceled airplane order with Airbus, but the French side denied the news. Could you confirm?
A: On your first question, you must not forget the essence of the issue. The auction involves Chinese cultural relics that were looted by western powers and lost overseas. We demand these relics be returned to China, and oppose forced auction of them.
On you second question, it’s understood from the Civil Aviation Administration of China that relevant report is untrue. The Administration has never made the decision to cancel relevant plane order. You may have noticed that the Airbus Company has also made clarification on the issue, saying that the relevant report is sheer fiction.
Q: The newly appointed US special representative for the Six-Party Talks arrives in Beijing today. Do you expect it to be a preliminary meeting or a meeting that can produce substantive results? Do you think the visit will send out positive message given the tension on the Korean Peninsula, deteriorating North-South relations and other problems facing the Six-Party Talks?
A: Mr. Bosworth, the US Special Representative for North Korea Policy arrives in Beijing today. During his visit, he will meet with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is also the head of Chinese delegation to the Six-Party Talks. We’d like to take this opportunity to exchange views with the US on issues of common interest and jointly promote the process of the Six-Party Talks and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
At present, there are some new and complicated developments with the Six-Party Talks. We hope these difficulties are only temporary, and that the six parties could continue to proceed from the overall interest of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and peace and stability in Northeast Asia, step up communication and cooperation and earnestly fulfill their respective commitments so as to implement the Second Phase Action in a comprehensive and balanced manner and promote the Six-Party Talks to the next phase.
Q: The Indian Government yesterday lifted a ban on imports of Chinese toys that had been a sore point between the two sides, but said it will keep strict product safety requirements on Chinese imports. Can you comment on that? Separately, the British rock band “Oasis” said that its permission to perform in China was revoked after it was discovered that one of the members had performed in a “Free Tibet” concert 12 years ago in New York. Do you have any knowledge of that? Can you comment on whether performers like this will have their backgrounds be looked into in the future?
A: On your first question, China being a big toy maker and exporter, the Chinese Government takes toy safety very seriously. Our exports to other countries are subject to strict production, inspection and export procedures. If any country has doubts about Chinese toys, we hope that it will communicate with us and present evidence. We can analyze it to see if it is an issue of the Chinese toy factories, or the manufacturers, or involves some other factors. With the current international financial crisis continuing to spread and the world economy entering into a recession, the Chinese Government has explicitly reiterated on many occasions that countries in the world should join their hands instead of taking trade protectionist measures.
On your second question, I didn’t know about the band and its performance plan until I saw the statement of the organizers. According to the organizers, the performance is cancelled because of economic reasons in their business operations. Competent Chinese authorities have asked the organizers to provide further information. With regard to the background of that band, you know better than me as it is quite popular in Europe and the US. You may help me to do some homework and be better informed. I would be interested to know what kind of band it is and what kind of person that singer is.
Q: You said that you had heard from the organizers of the event that they had cancelled for economic reasons. So according to your understanding, it was not cancelled because of any previous political affiliations by the band. You think that has been made up by the band or by the promoter?
A: What I said was the reason explained by the organizers themselves. But as I also mentioned, competent Chinese cultural authorities have asked the company to provide further details.
Q: I’ve seen on the internet that Xinhua is rather aggressively looking for journalists in various capitals including New York. It looks like there is a large expansion going on. CCTV also appears to be expanding fairly rapidly, with channels in Spanish and French now and others in the works. Can you talk about what China hopes to achieve in the short and medium term by the expansion of its state-owned news operations? What message do you hope to get out about China in the world through this expansion?
A: It is up to the Chinese media themselves to plan their own development. At the same time, we hope to see Chinese media going overseas, increasing communications on China, promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and those of the world, and building a positive international image of China as a country of peace, splendid civilization, progress, development and cooperation. You mentioned that they were recruiting. If you are interested, you may try your luck.
If there are no more questions, thank you. See you!