At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel will visit China from March 24 to 28. During the visit, the two foreign ministers will hold the second China-Portugal strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level.

CCTV: To follow up on Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel’s visit to China, how does China view its current relations with Portugal? What’s China’s expectation on this visit?

Mao Ning: China and Portugal enjoy long-standing friendship. Friendly cooperation has been the underlying feature of bilateral relations. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two presidents and with our joint effort, China-Portugal political mutual trust has been consolidated, practical cooperation in various fields has produced fruitful outcomes, and our businesses have worked for mutual benefits, setting an example of openness and win-win.

Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel will be the first European foreign minister to visit China after the two sessions. During the visit, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel will chair the second China-Portugal strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level. This will be the first face-to-face China-Portugal strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level, which is conducive to stepping up communication and coordination, and implementing the important understandings between the two leaders. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership. China stands ready to work with Portugal to deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance friendly exchanges, conduct high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and promote the sound and steady development of China-Portugal and China-EU relations. 

The New York Times: Do you expect the visit of Senator Daines from the U.S. to begin to lay the groundwork for a summit between the presidents of the United States and China? 

Mao Ning: We welcome Senator Steve Daines’s visit to China. We also welcome Americans from all walks of life, including members of the Congress, to visit China. China all along believes that the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations serves the common interests of the two peoples and meets the expectation of the international community.

News 1 Korea: The ROK plans to offer visa exemption to group tourists from China in the third quarter of this year. Does China have a comment on that? What’s China’s expectation?

Mao Ning: China and the ROK are each other’s neighbor. Enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges serves both sides’ interests.

AFP: Just a follow-up question on U.S. Senator Steve Daines. We know he’s a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. Will he meet the Chinese leader or another senior Chinese official during his visit?  

Mao Ning: I have nothing to share on that at the moment.

Reuters: Just a follow-up to the question on Senator Daines. What is China’s expectation for his visit?

Mao Ning: We welcome Senator Steve Daines’s visit to China. Maintaining the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations serves the common interests of the two peoples and meets the expectation of the international community.

Bloomberg: Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Japan from today for the bilateral high-level economic dialogue and also the trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting with Japan and South Korea. What is your expectation for both of those meetings?

Mao Ning: Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Japan today to attend the 11th China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and co-chair with the Japanese side the Sixth China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue. 

China, Japan and the ROK are close neighbors that will always live with each other and important economies in the region and the world. Since the Ninth China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting in May last year, practical cooperation among the three countries in various fields has been advanced steadily and made positive progress. The three parties will exchange views at the Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on China-Japan-ROK cooperation and regional and international issues of mutual interest. China stands ready to work with Japan and the ROK to follow through on the leaders’ common understandings, advance cooperation in areas of cultural and people-to-people exchange, sustainable development and climate change, economic cooperation and trade, public health and aging society, sci-tech cooperation and digital transition, and disaster relief and security, expand converging interests, make the pie of cooperation bigger, deliver more benefit of the trilateral cooperation to the peoples of the three countries, and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the wider world.

The China-Japan relationship is showing a momentum of improvement and development. We hope that Japan can work with China in the same direction and follow the guidance of the important common understandings between leaders of the two countries as well as the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan to comprehensively advance the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit and build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era.

Beijing Youth Daily: It’s reported that a freight train loaded with export goods bound for Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, departed from Beijing, marking the official launch of the first Beijing-Central Asia freight train service. This is another achievement in the connectivity between China and its neighboring countries. What’s your comment?

Mao Ning: Recently, much progress has been made in China’s connectivity with its neighboring countries. New train service was launched from China to Central Asia, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project ran into operation, and the land-sea corridor train service has run over 10,000 trips in the whole year. In our neighborhood, we have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 25 neighboring countries, and remained the largest trading partner of 18 countries. Today’s China is an anchor of stability, engine of economic development, and pillar of regional security in Asia.  

China’s prosperity could not be possible without Asia, and Asia’s development cannot be possible without China. We will continue to follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness on neighborhood diplomacy, stick to the goal of building a community with a shared future, and share opportunities with our neighbors for common development.

Bloomberg: The U.S. Treasury Secretary yesterday announced that there was sanction on a Chinese oil refinery in Shandong province and also an oil terminal in Guangdong province for taking Iranian oil. Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: It is China’s consistent position to oppose the U.S. abuse of illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. The U.S. needs to stop disrupting the normal business cooperation between China and Iran. China will take all measures necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of our companies. 

Kyodo News: According to reports, Taiwan’s “Legislative Yuan” appointed Iwasaki Shigeru, the former chief of the Joint Staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, as a consultant. What’s your comment?

Mao Ning: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair that brooks no external interference. The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-Japan relations. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Japan bears historical responsibilities to the Chinese people over the Taiwan question and should act with extra prudence and honor its promise of adhering to the one-China principle with concrete actions. We’ve lodged protests with the Japanese side. The DPP authorities’ separatist provocations with foreign support are doomed to fail.

Bloomberg: Russian media report that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia early April in preparation for a visit by President Xi Jinping? Can you confirm Wang Yi’s visit and do you have anything further on that?

Mao Ning: I have nothing to read out on that.

The New York Times: Senator Daines has expressed a desire to discuss fentanyl and the bilateral trading balance with Chinese officials while he is here. Does China plan to engage with Senator Daines on these two issues during his visit?

Mao Ning: China all along believes that the two sides should solve each other’s concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

The New York Times: American newspapers have reported that Elon Musk was scheduled to be granted a briefing on American military’s contingency plans in case of a conflict with China, although President Trump has said the briefing now will not occur. Does China have any response or comment?

Mao Ning: I’m not familiar with what you said.