Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on June 26, 2024

Xinhua News Agency: The 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions is being held in Dalian. We noted that Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said that under the current complex international landscape, international cooperation is more important than ever. What’s your comment?

Mao Ning: The 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions kicked off yesterday in Dalian. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang attended and addressed the opening plenary. Premier Li Qiang outlined China’s proposals on the meeting’s theme “Next Frontiers for Growth,” stressing that the depth of international cooperation determines the height of human development and calling on parties to embrace each other with open arms and work closely with each other, so as to form a strong synergy for global economic growth. 

We need international cooperation to confront the growth predicament of the world economy. Economies make progress through exchange and inter-connectivity and fall behind because of seclusion and closedness. We need to approach development issues with a longer view and broader mind, join hands with others to make the pie bigger while pursuing one’s legitimate interests and cultivate new engines for growth.

We need international cooperation to seize the new opportunities brought by the sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation. Major sci-tech progress usually comes from unrelenting research, accumulation and extensive cooperation. The exploration of new frontiers should not be seen as a zero-sum game. It is a process where all players compete for excellence and make progress together. Resorting to the “small yard, high fence” approach cannot hold back the development of others; it only ends up constraining oneself.

We need international cooperation to promote green transition and deal with climate change. There is only one Earth for humanity. Growth in the future has to be premised on harmony between man and nature. We cannot slow down our pace in green transition in exchange for short-term growth, or practice protectionism in the name of green development or environmental protection.

Premier Li Qiang said China has continued to promote high-quality development, accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces, and foster new drivers of growth. The rapid growth of new industries and new drivers has buttressed the sound and sustained development of the Chinese economy, and created greater cooperation space for companies around the world. China will continue to expand high-standard opening up, further ease market access, steadily expand institutional opening up and bring more opportunities and a more favorable environment for foreign investors.

China stands ready to join hands with all countries to sail the giant ship of the world economy into a vast blue ocean and create an even brighter future for humanity.

AFP: I wanted to ask if the Foreign Ministry had any comments on the interview published yesterday by the Wall Street Journal with the American Ambassador Nicholas Burns, in which Ambassador Burns said that China was working to prevent normal interactions between Chinese and American citizens and also said that Chinese officials were working to prevent or intimidate people who attended embassy events. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comments on that?

Mao Ning: Ambassador Burns’s remarks do not reflect the facts. Those words stray from the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in San Francisco and the right way for the two countries to get along with each other. They are not conducive to the sound and steady growth of China-US relations.

China is guided by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping in growing relations with the US and we are committed to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. As we speak, an event named Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-US Youth Festival is being held in Fuzhou. This is the largest youth exchange event with the greatest variety of activities being organized since the two countries established diplomatic ties.

It is the US, not China, that has disrupted and prevented cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The US has used national security as a false pretext to harass, interrogate, and deport Chinese students arriving in the US. Such moves inflicted enormous damage on the persons concerned. They’ve created a chilling effect.

The image of the US in the eyes of the Chinese people is ultimately determined by the US itself. The US should work with China, promote China-US people-to-people and cultural exchanges through credible actions and advance the sound and steady growth of bilateral relations.

China Daily: President of Poland Andrzej Duda is on the last day of his visit to China. Can you share more details of the visit? How does China view this visit?

Mao Ning: At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of Poland Andrzej Duda paid a state visit to China from June 22 to 26. During the visit, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Duda, and Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji met with him separately. President Duda also attended and addressed the Opening Plenary of the 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, and visited Shanghai.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Poland. In their talks, the two heads of state reviewed the course of bilateral relations over the past 75 years, and provided strategic guidance for the growth of bilateral ties in the next stage. President Xi Jinping noted that the two sides need to uphold the core spirit of China-Poland friendship, that is, mutual respect, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation, exchanges and mutual learning, step up strategic coordination and overall planning of cooperation in various areas, and put more effort into advancing cultural, youth and academic exchanges. President Duda spoke highly of the growth of bilateral relations and cooperation in various areas, commended the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, reaffirmed Poland’s commitment to the one-China principle, and expressed readiness to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with China, have close communication and coordination with China on multilateral affairs, play a constructive role in advancing the development of Europe-China relations, and continue working for closer ties between Central and Eastern European Countries and China.

After the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of several bilateral cooperation documents in areas of economy and trade and agriculture. The two sides also jointly issued the Action Plan on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2024-2027), and agreed to give priority to cooperation in areas of economy, trade and investment, connectivity, science, technology and green development, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

China and Poland have a traditional friendship. Poland was one of the first countries to recognize the New China. In recent years, China-Poland relations have enjoyed smooth progress, with fruitful outcomes of mutually beneficial cooperation. This visit has deepened the political mutual trust between the two countries, enriched the China-Poland comprehensive strategic partnership, and contributed to the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries and the sound and steady development of China-Europe relations. Going forward, China is ready to work with Poland to deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, stay true to the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations, carry forward the traditional friendship, and take the bilateral relations to a higher level. 

AFP: My question is about the current state of conflict in Myanmar. There have been new clashes in Myanmar starting yesterday in the Shan State and the Mandalay Region. In January, China brokered a ceasefire between the various parties in the Myanmar conflict. I’m wondering, is China still confident that the ceasefire can hold? Has China been in contact with any of the parties such as the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the junta about the ongoing conflicts? 

Mao Ning: We believe that maintaining the momentum of ceasefire and peace talks is not only in the interest of all parties in Myanmar but also conducive to the tranquility of the China-Myanmar border area. China is of the view that Myanmar needs to restore stability at an early date, and China will continue to do what it can to assist and support the process of peace talks.

Bloomberg: Sri Lanka is set to sign bilateral debt restructuring agreements with Paris Club-led creditor nations. Once that agreement with creditors is signed, the focus will turn to talks with the China Development Bank. Do you have any information to offer on talks with the CDB?  

Mao Ning: I’d refer you to competent Chinese authorities for the specifics. The Export-Import Bank of China was the first to tentatively agree with Sri Lanka on debt treatment, which has been crucial for Sri Lanka to advance fiscal reform and win further support from international creditors. China stands ready to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to support Sri Lanka in realizing debt sustainability.