At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Myanmar’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Tin Maung Swe will pay an official visit to China from June 4 to 6.
People’s Daily: On the visit by Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, how does China see current relations with Myanmar? What are your expectations for this visit?
Mao Ning: China and Myanmar are traditional friends, neighbors and a community with a shared future. Over the past 76 years since diplomatic ties were established, our two countries have carried forward the “pauk-phaw” friendship, upheld the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence advocated by both, stood with each other through thick and thin, and deepened our comprehensive strategic cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to our peoples.
After Myanmar’s new government assumed office, Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the country at the end of April. During the visit, the two sides had in-depth exchanges and reached positive common understandings on deepening friendly relations and advancing practical cooperation in various areas. The upcoming visit will be Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe’s first trip to China since taking office, and will mark the exchange of visits between the two foreign ministers in a very short period of time, a clear testament to the political will and keen interest on both sides to advance the bilateral community with a shared future. We look forward to discussing with Myanmar how to deepen cooperation on the four major global initiatives and delivering more good results in building the China-Myanmar community with a shared future.
CGTN: After the Chinese side refuted Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s comments on China on Monday, Japanese Defense Ministry spokesperson responded at yesterday’s press conference that China has made “repeated unfounded claims.” What is your comment?
Mao Ning: Japan’s justification for its behavior is better characterized as evasion and denial, which is nothing but camouflage for remilitarization. The Japanese side has been mum about the militarist invasion and war crimes, still less Japan’s obligations under international law. To this day, Japan remains unrepentant over its dark history. Now it is deceiving the Japanese public and international community by mixing up concepts—calling overseas deployment “collective self-defense,” buildup of offensive capabilities “acquiring counter-strike capabilities” and export of lethal weapons “equipment and technology cooperation.”
Facts do not lie. Juggling with words does not whitewash Japan’s rearmament. The harder Japan tries to hide it, the louder the alarm for the international community.
AFP: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said Wednesday that he would be reviewing his country’s secretive 2022 security pact with China. Does the foreign ministry have a comment on this?
Mao Ning: China and the Solomon Islands are comprehensive strategic partners featuring mutual respect and common development for a new era. We stand ready to work with the new government of the Solomon Islands to expand practical cooperation in various fields and better benefit the people of both countries.
China-Arab TV: In the early morning today, the U.S. army attacked Iran’s Qeshm Island. Iran said it had attacked the U.S. bases in the Middle East in retaliation. Warning sirens went off across several Gulf countries. What’s China’s comment on the escalating Middle East tensions?
Mao Ning: China is gravely concerned over the current situation. More fighting serves no one’s interests. We hope relevant parties will cherish the chance for peace, implement the ceasefire, keep the negotiation going, resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire at an early date and create necessary conditions for restoring peace and tranquility in the Middle East and Gulf region.
Hubei Media Group: According to media in Africa and the Taiwan region, before and after Lai Ching-te’s visit to Eswatini, the DPP authorities provided the country with 25 billion or so New Taiwan dollars worth of funding, and pledged that the income of related project belongs entirely to the king and the royal family. Taiwan’s representatives in Eswatini will also profit from that. What’s your comment?
Mao Ning: Those reports are yet another example of how far the Lai Ching-te authorities would go to selfishly advance their “Taiwan independence” agenda. Their expensive dollar diplomacy—a combination of corruption, fraudulence, bribery and money for abuse of power—has cost dearly the people in Taiwan, equivalent to collecting more than NT$1,000 from every person in Taiwan. Having Eswatini as a “diplomatic ally” is not about delivering real benefits for the people, but to line the pockets of the very few people who profit from it. This is political theatrics steeped in greed and graft.
The one-China principle is a prevailing international consensus, and a basic norm governing international relations. This year, China has extended zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China. This is a fresh opportunity for African countries to expand exports to China and grow their economies. It has delivered tangible benefits to Chinese and Africans. Eswatini is the only country left in Africa with so-called “diplomatic ties” to Taiwan. Betting on “Taiwan independence” has no future. It will only cost them opportunities for development and international isolation.
CNR: According to a report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, across 15 key industries including car manufacturing, shipbuilding and solar power, nearly 60 percent of the global market share gains by Chinese firms since 2005 can be linked to subsidies they received. The report finds that global subsidies amounted to USD 108 billion in 2024, 52 percent of which came from China. OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann stated that large and persistent industrial subsidies can distort global markets, creating unfair competitive advantages and contributing to excess supply capacity. What is your comment?
Mao Ning: Chinese firms make their way to the top not on subsidies, but through market competition, tireless innovation, global presence and the advantage of China’s mega-sized market. China’s industrial subsidy policy is based on openness, fairness, and compliance, and strictly within WTO rules. Industrial subsidies are commonly used worldwide. What matters is whether they comply with WTO rules. We hope the international organization will play a constructive role rather than the other way around.
Reuters: The Trump administration has proposed to impose additional duties of 10 percent or 12.5 percent on imports from 60 economies including China and Hong Kong after a Section 301 probe found failures to curb forced labor in the production process. What is China’s response to this? (Similar questions from Bloomberg)
Mao Ning: China opposes all forms of unilateral tariff measures. No one stands to gain from a tariff war or a trade war. Economic and trade issues should be worked out through dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit. There is no such thing as “forced labor” in China, and we oppose using it as a pretext for political manipulation.
Xinhua News Agency: Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department stated that the current U.S. administration has a firm commitment to freedom of speech, and would not accept China’s continued lack of reciprocity in treating U.S. media. China has long imposed restrictions on U.S. journalists and other foreign journalists in China. What is your comment?
Mao Ning: My colleague has stated China’s position on relevant issues. The U.S. side mentioned the issue of “reciprocity”, but that is actually China’s concern. The United States is the one that caused the media issue. Since the two sides reached the three common understandings on this issue, China has implemented them in their entirety, and has facilitated U.S. journalists’ reporting in China in ways such as visa approvals, whereas Chinese journalists’ reporting right has been severely curbed. Hardly any Chinese journalists are allowed to raise questions at the White House briefings. Their applications for visa or residence permits are often delayed without explanation. Multiple journalists have been forced to return to China. Chinese journalists’ applications for short-term reporting rarely get approved. Is that what the U.S. side means by “reciprocity”?
The U.S. side keeps emphasizing freedom of speech. But when Chinese media are labeled “foreign agent” or “foreign mission” in the United States, does that look like freedom of speech to the U.S. side?
What the U.S. side should do is to implement the common understandings with real actions and ensure that Chinese journalists can work and stay normally in the United States, which is their lawful right.
AFP: The EU will unveil on Wednesday a plan on how the bloc hopes to slash its dependence on American and Asian technology and favor European digital alternatives. This will include new rules on chips, cloud computing and AI. Does the foreign ministry have a comment on this?
Mao Ning: China believes that for economic and trade issues, proper solutions can always be found through dialogue and communication. Meanwhile, we hope the EU will abide by basic market economy principles such as free trade, fair competition, openness and cooperation, refrain from resorting to protectionist measures, and stay committed to dialogue and consultation to resolve differences and respective concerns.
Reuters: China Southern Airlines on Monday inaugurated direct passenger flights between Urumqi in Xinjiang and Frankfurt in Germany. This is a rare air link between Xinjiang and Europe. Would this new air link help China better repatriate Uyghurs overseas?
Mao Ning: I am not familiar with the specifics of the new flight route you mentioned. I believe the purpose is to facilitate travel and mutual understanding. I have no idea where you got that unheard-of question from. As always, China opposes political framing on issues related to Xinjiang.
