Shenzhen TV: We noted that recently neighboring countries including Russia vocally opposed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia and other countries openly reaffirmed their support to the one-China principle. Media outlets and academics from regional countries stated that the atrocities committed by the Japanese military during WWII inflicted untold sufferings on Asia and the world and that instead of deeply reflecting on Japan’s war crimes, some political forces in Japan tried to deny, distort and even whitewash the history of aggression, and attempted to breach the pacifist constitution and “remilitarize” Japan. Such moves gravely hurt the sentiments of people from many countries and threaten regional peace. What’s your comment?

Guo Jiakun: Over the last century, under the pretext of “survival-threatening situation,” Japanese militarists waged a war of aggression against China and other Asian countries, taking millions of lives and committing horrendous atrocities across the continent.

During WWII, among the three mass killings of civilians committed by the Japanese military, over 300,000 were murdered in the Nanjing massacre, an estimated 100,000 Filipino civilians were killed in just one month in the Manila massacre, and the death toll of the massacre in Singapore was tens of thousands. It’s documented in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East Judgment that the Japanese military created over 100 large-scale massacres in Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and other places. 

Prisoners of war (POWs) from Allied nations were treated cruelly by the Japanese military, among whom 27 percent were killed after capture. In the Bataan Death March, about 15,000 U.S. and Philippine POWs died under maltreatment. 

Hundreds of thousands of Southeast Asian people and Allied POWs who had been forced into slave labor by the Japanese military perished in building the Burma-Thailand Railway. Over four million Chinese workers forcibly recruited by the Japanese military died or injured because of overwork under brutal conditions. 

Women and girls from China, the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, the Netherlands and other countries and regions were brutally forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military as “comfort women.”

Japan’s war crimes must not be erased and the verdict on its history of aggression must not be changed. Any tolerance on the provocative words and deeds of Japanese right-wing forces will only revive the specter of militarism and once again put the Asian people in danger. Countries have the responsibility and obligation to join hands in thwarting any attempt to revive militarism and Fascism, defending the outcomes of WWII victory, upholding the post-war international order and safeguarding world peace and stability.

China News Service: It was reported that on the night of December 5, Afghan and Pakistani forces exchanged fire along the border between Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and Pakistan’s Balochistan province, causing civilian casualties, although the two countries agreed on a ceasefire in mid October. What is China’s comment?

Guo Jiakun: China noted the reports. Pakistan and Afghanistan are both China’s traditional friendly neighbors, and the two countries are and will always be neighbors of each other. China hopes that Pakistan and Afghanistan will continue resolving their disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, deescalate the situation, and keep the region peaceful and stable. China is ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role for the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

Bloomberg: I have a question about the Trump administration’s decision to allow the sale of Nvidia H200 chips to China. Can you tell me if China will allow these H200 chips to be purchased and also whether and when did leaders of the two countries communicate the decision?

Guo Jiakun: We have noticed the reports. China always advocates that China and the United States achieve mutual benefit through cooperation.

Reuters: On the rare earths general licenses, several European leaders have visited China in recent days expressing concerns about the supply of rare earths from China to European countries. During these visits, did China make any commitments on ensuring the supply of rare earths to Europe or did it promise that it would provide any general licenses for rare earths? Second question, Japanese media reported that there have been delays in the exports of rare earths to Japan from China, potentially as a result of the diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo. What’s China’s comment on that?

Guo Jiakun: Competent authorities of China have shared information on work regarding the export control on rare earth-related items more than once. China is handling relevant issues in accordance with the laws and regulations.

Antara: The Governor of Aceh Province in Indonesia has said he is open to receiving foreign assistance to help residents affected by the severe flooding, and even now Aceh people already received support from a Chinese civil society organization who is evacuating bodies from the mud. Is the Chinese government planning to deploy additional assistance to the flood-affected areas in Indonesia?

Guo Jiakun: China is closely following the deadly flooding in Sumatra, Indonesia. Chinese leaders have extended sympathies to the leaders of the government and the People’s Consultative Assembly of Indonesia. China has and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected areas in light of the Indonesian government’s need. We believe that under the leadership of the Indonesian government, the people in the disaster-affected areas will recover from the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.

Asahi Shimbun: On the issue of “radar illumination,” Japan’s Defense Minister said today Japan does not believe that it has been given information related to China’s sea and air training zones in advance as claimed by China. Can the Foreign Ministry brief us on when and what has been announced by the Chinese side?

Guo Jiakun: The spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy clearly said on December 7 that the training zones were announced in advance. For specifics, I’d refer you to competent authorities.

Asahi Shimbun: The Japanese government today refuted what has been stated by China yesterday and said that “the intermittent illumination of radar beams is a dangerous act.” Does the Foreign Ministry clearly deny the act of “intermittent radar illumination?” 

Guo Jiakun: The Chinese side has stated its serious position on the issue. The facts are very clear. China’s exercise and training in relevant waters and airspace fully complies with the international law and international practice. Our maneuvers are professional, standard, and beyond reproach. To activate search radar during flight training is commonly done by carrier-based aircraft of all countries. It’s also a normal measure to ensure flight safety. We’d suggest that you ask the Japanese side: Why did the Japanese Self Defense Force fighter jets come to those areas to create this dangerous incident which shouldn’t have happened? Are they deliberately harassing China’s normal exercise and training and creating tensions?

Reuters: Dutch media reported that a Chinese language news website in Hungary published the names of Dutch spies who met with representatives from Taiwanese intelligence. Does China have any comment on this report?

Guo Jiakun: I haven’t seen the reports. 

Antara: Tensions have flared again on the Thailand-Cambodia border at the beginning of this week, and a Thai F-16 fighter jet has reportedly attacked Cambodian artillery positions yesterday. What’s the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: As a friend and close neighbor of Cambodia and Thailand, China sincerely hopes that both sides exercise restraint and work in the same direction to prevent further escalation of the situation. China will continue to play a constructive role for deescalation in its own way.

Bloomberg: I just want to go back to the Japanese radar issue. There was a Nikkei report that the Chinese side did not answer the hotline in regard to the “radar illumination.” Do you have any comment on that?

Guo Jiakun: I’ve answered this question just now. The spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy clearly said on December 7 that the training zones were announced in advance. For specifics, I’d refer you to competent authorities.