CGTN: Yesterday, the high-level meeting marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative was held in Beijing. Can you brief us on that?

Mao Ning: This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by President Xi Jinping. Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China International Development Cooperation Agency and UN agencies jointly organized the High-level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative in Beijing. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi attended and addressed the meeting.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi took stock of fruitful outcomes in implementing the GDI over the past five years. He stressed that the GDI has played a greater role in driving global development, developed better cooperation mechanisms and delivered a steady stream of cooperation outcomes. The GDI has turned from a Chinese proposal into a global consensus, and from a statement of goals into concrete actions in support of the SDGs, winning wide appreciation and drawing active participation from the international community.

Highlighting the serious challenges facing global development, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made four propositions on deepening GDI cooperation. He called on parties to enhance solidarity and cooperation to foster a peaceful environment for development, combine our efforts to accelerate progress toward the SDGs, champion openness and mutual learning to boost innovation as the engine for development, and practice multilateralism to help improve the global governance system.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out, no matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will continue to honor its responsibilities as a major country, and align its growth with the common good of the world to promote and contribute to global development. China will steadily advance the implementation of the GDI and share development opportunities with all countries on the journey to build a community with a shared future for humanity. 

NHK: What would you like to say regarding yesterday’s strong earthquake that has caused casualties in Kumamoto, Japan?

Mao Ning: We are closely following the impact of the earthquake in Kumamoto. We mourn for the lives lost and express sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured. The Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan have immediately activated emergency response and issued consular alerts advising Chinese nationals to prepare for possible tsunamis and aftershocks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry and missions in Japan continue to follow the developments closely and stand ready to assist our fellow nationals whenever needed. 

RIA Novosti: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko announced that Russia and China are discussing the introduction of a permanent visa-free regime for citizens of the two countries. What’s your comment?

Mao Ning: The China-Russia mutual visa exemption since its launch has facilitated cross-border travel and promoted people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. We stand ready to maintain communication with the Russian side.

Bloomberg: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, has announced a ban on imports of humanoid robots. It didn’t mention any country, but China is the dominant supplier of humanoid robots nowadays. The U.S. cited national security concerns for their ban. Can you comment? (Similar question from Reuters)

Mao Ning: China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security and going after Chinese companies. Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive and will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers. China will continue to do what is necessary to firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Global Times: Recently, according to Japanese media, Japan’s right-wing forces have been paying people to use AI on a large scale to churn out disinformation on its history of aggression against China and misguide the public. What’s your comment?

Mao Ning: We are gravely concerned over what you just mentioned. After WWII, instead of doing serious soul-searching on its history of aggression against China, Japan’s right-wing forces have resorted to every means to distort the facts and whitewash Japan’s historical crimes. By paying visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, revising history textbooks, and tampering with the content of the memorial halls’ exhibitions, the right-wing forces have been spreading a wrong perception on history to misguide the Japanese society, in particular, the young generations. Today, the right-wing forces even use the new technology to poison the public opinion for accelerating their remilitarization agenda. Such moves are even more egregious and pose even greater risks. The right-wing forces’ attempts constitute a blatant provocation to the international fairness and justice and the postwar international order, as well as a threat to regional peace and stability. The international community must stay on high alert and firmly reject such moves.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials. The truth of history shall not be denied, and the verdict of history shall not be challenged. There are solid evidence of Japan’s crimes on its war of aggression against China. A growing body of new evidence has further brought to light the crimes of the Japanese militarism. China will stand with all peace-loving people around the world to defend historical truth and justice.

Reuters: Sources told Reuters that Beijing has asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers through the southern Red Sea. One source said Chinese officials have cleared each vessel individually with the Houthis and that both sides have informed Iran of their actions. Could we confirm this? Have the Houthis granted safe passage for all the vessels China requested for? What other details can you share?

Mao Ning: China is closely following the developments in the Red Sea. We believe that regional countries’ sovereignty and security should be respected, and safe and unimpeded passage through international shipping lanes should be jointly safeguarded. China calls on relevant parties to continue to resolve differences and disputes properly through dialogue and consultation and promote deescalation in the Red Sea.

Bloomberg: Bloomberg reports that Germany is mapping out vulnerabilities in China’s supply chain in order to use as a leverage against a possible trade war between Germany and China. Can I have your reaction to that?

Mao Ning: In the globalized world, there’s nothing unusual that countries need each other in the industrial chain. China and Germany are comprehensive strategic partners. Our cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. The two sides need to enhance communication and cooperation to achieve common development, jointly keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded, and contribute to world development and prosperity.