CCTV: The Chinese side has announced the upcoming visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the ROK. Could you share with us China’s expectations for this trip?
Lin Jian: China and the ROK are neighbors and cooperation partners. The all-round rapid growth of bilateral ties, since diplomatic relations were established 34 years ago, has delivered tangible benefits to both peoples and contributed to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region. Late last year and early this year, President Xi Jinping and President Lee Jae Myung had successful mutual visits and reached a number of important common understandings, opening up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations. We believe Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s upcoming visit will boost efforts on both sides to deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, deepen exchange and cooperation, and make new progress in the China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership.
Xinhua News Agency: China announced that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Indonesia, where he will chair the first Conference of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism and attend the Second Ministerial Meeting of China-Indonesia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue. Can you give us a preview of the conferences? What’s China’s expectation on this visit?
Lin Jian: Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, solid progress has been made in building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and the “five-pillar” cooperation has yielded fruitful outcomes. As the century-defining transformation is unfolding at an accelerating pace, it is of great significance for China and Indonesia, both major developing countries and major nations in the Global South, to strengthen strategic communication, solidarity and collaboration. The China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism and the Second Ministerial Meeting of China-Indonesia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue fully demonstrate the strategic significance and high level of the relations between China and Indonesia.
In the first Conference of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, both sides will focus on better synergizing our development strategies, exploring practical measures to deepen the China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and bolstering respective modernization. In the Second Ministerial Meeting of China-Indonesia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun will have in-depth exchanges of views with the Indonesian side on political security, defense cooperation and international and regional situation.
China will work with Indonesia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, ensure the success of the two conferences, make coordinated efforts to advance cooperation on development and security, and move faster to build a China-Indonesia community with a shared future that carries regional and global influence, so as to bring more benefits to the people of China and Indonesia and make greater contribution to peace and development in the region and beyond.
Global Times: On August 17, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told the media that Japan was initially designated as an “enemy state” in the UN Charter. He sincerely hoped that Japan read the Charter in its entirety, including Article 107, namely the “Enemy State Clauses.” Japan joined the UN after having atoned for its militaristic policies and the crimes it committed. By joining the UN, Japan recognized the principles enshrined in the Charter in their entirety. If the Japanese leaders are attempting to violate their own Constitution, rewrite international law, and evade historical responsibility, it will naturally give rise to serious concern. What’s your comment?
Lin Jian: China agrees with what Foreign Minister Lavrov said. The “Enemy State Clauses” is an important provision of the UN Charter. As we mark 80 years of the Tokyo Trials, to reaffirm these clauses and underline their binding force is of particular importance for defending the outcomes of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War and thwarting the resurrection of militarism.
Japan needs to be reminded that instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, stipulate Japan’s international obligations as a defeated country and serve as cornerstones of the postwar international order. Fulfilling these obligations is the political and legal prerequisite for Japan to be readmitted to the international community. Today, however, the Takaichi administration keeps sidestepping the issue of historical crimes with no sign of remorse, and even goes to great lengths to whitewash and glorify them, as part of its scheme to abandon pacifism, break free from the constraints of its Constitution and domestic and international laws, and ratchet up remilitarization. This is a blatant challenge to the postwar international order and a flagrant provocation to peace and justice. All peace-loving nations need to jointly reject and check Japanese right-wing forces’ dangerous pursuit so as to safeguard the outcomes of WWII victory and the postwar international order and ensure that the tragedies of history will never be repeated.
Nippon TV: It is reported that International Department of the Central Committee of CPC has invited Japanese members of the parliament to visit China next week, and they are planning to hold a meeting. Does the ministry have any comment to this?
Lin Jian: I am not aware of that and refer you to the competent Chinese authorities.
The Paper: It is reported that the U.S. government plans to send a letter to notify the signatories of a U.S. “AI Opportunity Statement” that they can’t be held alongside membership in duplicative initiatives whose expectations conflict with Washington’s. A U.S. official said the letter was drafted specifically to make clear that countries can’t have it both ways, arguing that nations can’t join both the U.S. and Chinese AI ecosystems simultaneously. What is China’s comment?
Lin Jian: AI is the collective wisdom and precious asset shared by all humanity. It is a widespread expectation of the international community to carry out extensive AI cooperation, and all countries have the right to decide for themselves who they wish to partner with according to their own national conditions and development needs. China firmly opposes forcing countries to take sides or creating bloc confrontation on AI. We hope that all sides will abandon the zero-sum mentality, advocate solidarity, respect digital sovereignty of all countries, and build a just and equitable system for global AI governance, making AI an important driver for shared prosperity and common security.
Phoenix TV: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said at a recent interview that Taiwan is part of China. When asked about his view on China not committing to renouncing the use of force, the prime minister said that if one province of Malaysia decides to break away, he will use force to protect the unity of the nation, otherwise the nation will be fragmented. What is China’s comment?
Lin Jian: Upholding the one-China principle is where public opinion trends and the right thing to do. The international community’s commitment to the one-China principle is not to be shaken. China commends Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks.
Let me stress once again that there is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. China must and will achieve reunification. This will not be stopped.
AFP: The United States and South Korea both said today that they will stop their annual military exercises earlier than expected. This is days after President Trump said he requested a reduction. He cited his good relationship with North Korean leader. So my question is, how does China view these annual drills? And do you have any comment on them being cut short this year?
Lin Jian: We have responded to questions on this subject. A peaceful and stable Peninsula and a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue are in the interest of all parties.
