China News Service: Today, China celebrates its 11th Space Day, which also marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of China’s cause of space exploration. Living in space race 2.0 period, in which the focus of space competition has evolved from technology into rule-making and alliances, and as a major country in the field of aerospace, how will China foster more inclusive space cooperation? Will China be more open to cooperation with international partners in the aerospace sector?

Guo Jiakun: Exploring the vast universe is humanity’s shared aspiration and the dedication of those in China’s space sector. After 70 years of continuous efforts and through self-reliance, China’s space exploration cause keeps developing and has made landmark achievements as well as historic strides from artificial satellite and manned space engineering to deep-space exploration. China always upholds the principle of equality, mutual benefits, peaceful use and inclusive development in outer space cooperation with other countries. China has signed space cooperation agreements with many African countries, and there are 10 paintings by African youth in Tiangong space station; China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite helps protect South American rainforests; Pakistani astronauts are ready to head to China’s space station with Chinese astronauts.

Space is not an arena for major country contest. China will continue to work with various countries for open space cooperation and advance the common endeavor of humanity in exploring outer space.

CGTN: We’ve noted an alarming surge of neo-militarism in Japan over the recent month: A sitting SDF officer broke into the Chinese embassy in Japan carrying a knife; a Japanese destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait; the SDF for the first time officially participated in the joint military drill between the U.S. and the Philippines; the Japanese cabinet greatly eased controls on weapons export; and Sanae Takaichi sent ritual and cash offerings to the Yasukuni war shrine in two consecutive days. In a recent online survey among respondents worldwide, 82.5 percent said the Japanese right-wing’s remilitarization move has basically the same expansionist logic of Japanese militarism before World War II, and it would lead Japan into a really dangerous situation again. Do you have any comment on that?

Guo Jiakun: This once again shows that the rampant and dangerous spread of neo-militarism in Japan is already a reality and poses real threats.

Back in history, Japanese militarists have waged wars of aggression by fabricating “external threats,” stoking up nationalist sensation, and kidnapping state power. During the aggression, they committed horrendous crimes and brought profound sufferings to the people in the Asia Pacific. Today, rather than deeply reflecting on their history of aggression, Japanese right-wing forces have pushed for more offensive and expansionist defense policies and attempted to accelerate Japan’s remilitarization by rehabilitating its military-industrial complex.

Besides, Japan has been lobbying around, peddling narratives with distorted facts in an attempt to prop up Japan’s image as a “peace-loving country”, which is already in tatters. However, the world is not easily beguiled. When a country seeks to revise its pacifist Constitution, eases restrictions on export of lethal weapons, deploys offensive missiles, and significantly increases military expenditure, its real intention is to pave the way for military expansion, no matter what it says. Japan has also been interacting frequently with NATO, in an effort to bring the non-regional military organization into the Asia Pacific. Its agenda of provoking confrontation is as clear as day.

The lessons of that dark history not far away must be remembered. Countries in the region including China must stay on high alert and jointly defend the outcomes of the victory of WWII. We must not allow Japanese militarism to be revived. We must not allow the tragedies of history to be repeated. We must not allow anyone or any force to undermine peace and sow disaster in our region.

BBC: How did sensitive medical information from half a million patients who took part in the UK health study end up for sale on the Chinese internet. What is the Chinese government going to do to ensure this doesn’t happen again?

Guo Jiakun: The Chinese government protects the rights and interests on personal information and regulates personal information processing activities in accordance with the law.

RT: Finland’s Foreign Minister recently suggested that China’s close ties with Russia make any future EU-China trade deal unlikely, calling it a disqualifying factor. What is China’s response to that assessment? And would China ever consider scaling back its ties with Russia if that became the price for advancing trade talks with the EU?

Guo Jiakun: China-EU economic and trade relations are win-win in nature. It is in the interest of both sides to step up dialogue and consultation and deepen economic and trade cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, which is also the shared expectation of the business community and people of both sides. We hope the Finnish side will view the normal development of ties between China and other countries in a rational and objective light, keep an open mind, and refrain from politicizing trade or abusing the concept of security on trade issues.

Bloomberg: The White House has accused China of industrial-scale stealing of American artificial intelligence intellectual property. Does the Chinese Foreign Ministry have a comment?

Guo Jiakun: Such allegations are groundless and are deliberate attacks on China’s development and progress in the AI industry. China firmly rejects it. We urge the U.S. to respect facts, discard bias, stop its containment on China’s sci-tech development and choose the course of action conducive to sci-tech exchanges and cooperation between China and the U.S.

Bloomberg: It’s been reported that two pandas, Pingping and Fushuang will travel from Chengdu to Atlanta in the U.S. Can you confirm that and tell us when they will travel? And what does this mean for U.S.-China relations ahead of the anticipated Xi-Trump meeting?

Guo Jiakun: Giant panda is not only a national treasure of China but also emissaries and bridges for friendship. We believe that the new round of cooperation effort between China and the U.S. on giant panda conservation will contribute to the well-being of giant pandas, the capacity for protecting giant pandas and other endangered species, global biodiversity conservation and the friendship between the people of China and the U.S.

CCTV: President Trump said the Iranian cargo ship intercepted by the U.S. might have carried a “gift” from China. Do you have further response to that? Can you give us any information about what’s on the ship?

Guo Jiakun: China rejects any assertion and speculation that lack factual evidence. Normal trade between countries should not be disrupted or harmed.