Shenzhen TV: The Boao Forum for Asia Annual Meeting 2025 has just kicked off. We noted that the Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress Annual Report 2025 was released at the forum. The report estimates that Asia’s economy will grow by 4.5 percent in 2025, with its share rising to 48.6 percent among the world’s economic output measured by purchasing power parity. Secretary General of the Boao Forum for Asia noted that “the world has every reason to be hopeful about Asia’s future.” How would you assess Asia’s development prospect and China’s role?

Guo Jiakun: We noted the report. Asia is the most populous region globally and has the most vibrant economy with strong resilience of economies in the region. Asia is at the forefront of the world in such aspects as economic growth, trade in goods and services and regional economic integration, and has become an important driving force and stabilizer for global economic growth.

As the global economy faces rising instability and uncertainty, the international community is following what path Asia chooses and calling for solutions Asia could offer. We hope that participating parties at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia could have in-depth exchanges and discussion, grasp the overriding trend of universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, work for early conclusion and implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, and explore new sustainable driving forces, such as digital economy and green economy.

As an important member of the big Asian family and the host country of the Boao Forum for Asia, China will stay committed to promoting high-quality development and high-standard opening up, joining hands with other Asian countries to tackle development challenges with solidarity and seek win-win results through cooperation, and making new contribution to global growth.

Reuters: The U.S. has placed dozens of Chinese entities on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s export restriction list. What response does the Ministry have to this? Would China take countermeasures?

Guo Jiakun: The U.S. action is an abuse of its entity list and other export controls. The U.S. falsely accuses China of “activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy” and uses it as an excuse to impose illicit unilateral sanctions. This is typical hegemonism and a serious violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. The action of the U.S. harms the lawful rights and interests of businesses and destabilizes the global industrial and supply chains. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn this.

We call on the U.S. to stop overstretching the concept of national security, stop politicizing trade and sci-tech issues and using them as a weapon and a tool and stop abusing various kinds of sanction lists to hit Chinese companies. China will take necessary steps to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

The Paper: It’s reported that according to the ROK’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 1 p.m. March 26, the wildfires in Gyeongsang, the ROK, killed 20 people, injured 19, and burned forests, houses and a temple. What’s China’s comment?

Guo Jiakun: The recent wildfires in part of the ROK inflicted casualties and property loss. China mourns the victims and expresses sympathies to the bereaved and injured.

CCTV: Today marks the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention. What’s China’s view on the role and prospects of the convention as well as proposition on strengthening it?

Guo Jiakun: The Biological Weapons Convention establishes obligations under international law to eliminate the threats of biological weapons, reduce biosecurity risks and promote the peaceful use of biological technology. It plays an important role in humanity’s effort to safeguard peace and security and promote the common cause of development and prosperity.

President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative, advocating the joint response from all countries to biosecurity and other global challenges. In recent years, China has put forward a series of propositions and proposals, and promoted the establishment of a verification regime of the convention in order to prevent and deter violations of the convention. At the same time, China advocates responsible research in bioscience, promotes bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation, and supports developing countries in fully engaging in global biosecurity governance and benefiting from the development of biological science. China calls on all states parties to take concrete actions, earnestly fulfill obligations, jointly defend the authority of the convention, and keep improving the biosecurity governance system.

AFP: A Chinese influencer Liu Zhenya left Taiwan yesterday after her residency permit was revoked for advocating that China should unify Taiwan by military means. Does the Foreign Ministry have a comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: I didn’t notice relevant reports. Let me stress that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.

Kyodo News: According to reports, the result of the second sampling of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water will be announced soon. If there’s no abnormality in the result, will China lift the restrictions on the import of Japanese aquatic products?

Guo Jiakun: At the Sixth China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue co-chaired by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, the Japanese side reiterated its commitment of accepting long-term international monitoring and independent sampling and monitoring by China. Both sides confirmed that the above-mentioned monitoring activities will be carried out on a continuous basis and consultations on the export of Japanese aquatic products to China will be held on the premise that there’s no abnormality in the result.

Let me stress that China’s opposition to Japan’s unilateral discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea has not changed. Since last year, Chinese experts have conducted independent sampling twice in Japan and promptly released the relevant test results. On the basis of Japan’s fulfillment of its commitments and no abnormality in the test results, on March 12 as scheduled, China’s General Administration of Customs held a technical exchange with the Japanese side in Beijing on the safety of Japanese aquatic products. China will continue to work with the international community to urge Japan to honor its commitments and ensure that the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water always remains under strict international oversight.

Reuters: A report by the U.S. intelligence agencies published yesterday said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the U.S. This report said Beijing was making “steady but uneven” progress on capabilities it could use to capture Taiwan. What comment does the Ministry have on this?

Guo Jiakun: The U.S. issues irresponsible and biased reports like this year after year, seeks to promote the false “China threat” narrative and fans up major-country rivalry, so that there could be an excuse to suppress China and perpetuate U.S. supremacy.

China’s development has a long historic thread and is robust and self-driven. Our goal is very clear and there’s nothing to hide about it: we strive to make sure that the Chinese people can lead a better life and China can contribute more to the world we live in. We have no intention to surpass or supplant anyone.

The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair. Nothing will deter China from rejecting “Taiwan independence” and defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one shall underestimate or miscalculate China’s resolve.

As the saying goes, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” China is not a mirror image of the hegemonic U.S. The U.S. needs to stop viewing its ties with China from the outdated Cold War perspective, stop containing China in the name of “strategic competition”, and stop aiding or abetting “Taiwan independence” in any form. The U.S. should stop falsely picturing China as a threat and work with China for a steady, sound and sustainable China-U.S. relationship.

China News Service: Yesterday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel held the second China-Portugal strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level. They reviewed the past experience of peacefully and properly resolving the question of Macao, and said that the two sides need to continue leveraging Macao’s role as a bridge and promote greater progress in bilateral relations. How do you view Macao’s role in China-Portugal relations?

Guo Jiakun: China and Portugal properly resolved the question of Macao, setting an example of countries solving issues left over from the past through friendly consultation. After its return, as the only place in the world with both Chinese and Portuguese as its official languages, the Macao Special Administrative Region is an important platform for promoting business ties between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. It has increasingly frequent and in-depth exchanges with Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries. We believe with the strong support of the Central Government and the mainland of the country, Macao SAR will fully leverage the institutional strength of One Country, Two Systems, reinforce its connectivity with both the mainland and the world, act as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and help China and Portuguese-speaking countries achieve greater progress in cooperation in trade, finance, tourism and hi-tech, and other fields.