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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on December 17, 2024
2024-12-17 21:43

Reuters: Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for talks on the China-India border issue tomorrow, the first such high-level talks since December 2019. Are you able to tell us what is on the agenda? What is needed to rebuild trust between the two countries?

Lin Jian: As we announced yesterday, the 23rd meeting between the Special Representatives of China and India on the boundary question will be held on December 18 in Beijing. We will release information about the meeting in due course. Please stay tuned.

On your second question, China is ready to work with India to implement the important common understandings between the leaders of China and India, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, strengthen mutual trust through dialogue and communication, properly settle differences with sincerity and good faith, and bring bilateral relations back to the track of stable and healthy development as soon as possible.

AFP: The Council of the European Union announced yesterday a new round of sanctions intended to weaken Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, and this included the first use of what the Council called fully-fledged sanctions against Chinese actors, including travel bans and asset freezes. Does the Foreign Ministry have a comment on these new sanctions?

Lin Jian: China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization by the UN Security Council. China deplores and firmly opposes the EU’s unjustified sanctions against Chinese companies. On the Ukraine crisis, China is committed to promoting talks for peace. China never provides weapons to the parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles, and China’s scope and measures of export control over drones are the most stringent worldwide. The normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian companies should not be disrupted or interfered with. Most countries, including European countries and the US, have continued to trade with Russia. We urge the EU to stop applying double standard, stop falsely accusing and shifting the blame to China, and stop undermining the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. China will do what is necessary to firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Beijing Daily: In recent months, the posts, pics and video clips about China Travel have been trending on overseas social media. A video tagged with “China Travel” garnered over 80 million views on Youtube, and videos with the same tag received nearly one billion views in total on TikTok. “Visiting China right after leaving office on Friday” has been a buzzword on the social media in the ROK and other countries. What’s your comment?

Lin Jian: I also saw quite a few “China Travel” videos posted by foreign internet users. Through their lens, many foreign friends offer a glimpse of the thriving and modern cities in China as well as the hustle and bustle of ordinary Chinese. Some of these curious visitors have never been to China, and others have visited our country more than once.

In recent months, China has implemented a complete mutual visa exemption with 26 countries. We have issued a unilateral visa-free policy for 38 countries, including France and Germany, a visa-free transit policy for 54 countries, and reached mutual visa-free agreements with 157 countries and regions. This morning, China fully eased and improved the visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours, or 10 days, from the original 72-144 hours. Twenty-one ports of entry and exit have been added for visa-free transit individuals. Foreign nationals entering China through the visa-free transit policy can make cross-province travels within the allowed areas.

We welcome foreign friends to add China to their travel bucket list, and experience China’s time-honored history by visiting heritage sites such as the Great Wall, feast their eyes on natural wonders such as the glinting West Lake, discover application of cutting-edge technologies, and feel the spirit of humanity embodied in winter dining delights.

Reuters: China placed sanctions on 27 Trump administration officials during US President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, including his then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Please can you confirm whether those individuals are still under Chinese sanctions?

Lin Jian: I have no information to share.

AFP: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that his government is “concerned about the challenge that China poses,” as a Chinese businessman denied engaging in espionage. What is the Foreign Ministry’s response?

Lin Jian: The “China espionage” accusation is just preposterous. Let me stress that advancing China-UK relations is in the interest of both countries, and conducive to global growth and response to global challenges. We hope that the UK will work with China, accumulate positive factors, and manifest the fact that cooperation benefits both countries.


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