At the invitation of President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Noboa, President Xi Jinping’s special envoy, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, will attend President Noboa’s inauguration in Quito, capital of Ecuador, on May 24.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, Fujian Province from May 28 to 29. Foreign ministers or representatives from 11 island countries having diplomatic relations with China, namely President and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau of Kiribati, Premier and Foreign Minister Dalton Tagelagi of Niue, Crown Prince and Minister for Foreign Affairs Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala of Tonga, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Rouwen Aingimea of Nauru, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert of Federated States of Micronesia, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka of Solomon Islands, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Marc Ati of Vanuatu, Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko of Papua New Guinea, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana of the Cook Islands, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua of Fiji, and representative of the government of Samoa and Ambassador of Samoa to China Luamanuvae A. Mariner, and Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Esala Nayasi will attend the meeting upon invitation.

CCTV: To follow up on your announcement that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, can you give us more information on that?

Mao Ning: China and Pacific island countries (PICs) are comprehensive strategic partners committed to mutual respect and common development. The two sides have deepened and advanced friendly ties and cooperation in recent years. It will be the third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the first time the meeting will be held in person in China. There will be an in-depth exchange of views on interactions and cooperation between China and Pacific island countries in all aspects and international and regional issues of mutual interest. China highly values its ties with PICs and hopes that this meeting will help drive the implementation of the important common understandings reached between leaders of the two sides, enhance solidarity and coordination, unite efforts for development and prosperity, and galvanize an even closer community with a shared future between China and PICs.

TASS: On May 20, the EU and the UK respectively announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, mainly targeting Russia’s energy, military and financial sectors. This time, Chinese and UAE companies have also been included in the sanctions list. What’s your comment on this? Do you think such move will help promote peace talks between Russia and Ukraine?

Mao Ning: China opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council. We deplore and firmly oppose those unjustified European sanctions against Chinese companies. On the Ukraine crisis, China is committed to promoting talks for peace. China has never provided lethal weapons to parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles. The normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian companies should not be disrupted or affected. Most countries, including those in Europe and the United States, continue to trade with Russia. Those in Europe need to stop using double standard on trade and economic cooperation with Russia and hurting the lawful interests of Chinese companies. China will do what is necessary to firmly defend its lawful rights and interests.

Financial Times: Recently China’s Ambassador to Israel explicitly condemned by name the Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023. Is this China’s first explicit condemnation of the attack? If so, why is China’s position changed now?

Mao Ning: On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China has all along stood on the side of fairness and justice. The Gaza conflict has been dragging on for over a year and half and created a severe humanitarian crisis. It is in no one’s interest to let it continue. Neither the Israelis nor Palestinians should become targets of armed attacks or collective punishment. Violence for violence will only lead to an endless cycle of revenge, and it is the civilians on both sides who will continue to suffer and bear the toll. China will continue working relentlessly with the international community for a ceasefire and the deescalation of the humanitarian situation.

AFP: President Donald Trump has announced new details of his plan to build the Golden Dome missile shield over the United States. He disclosed US$25 billion in additional funding for the plan, and said it should be operational in about three years. He also said it would deploy cutting-edge technologies across the land, sea and space. What’s China’s comment on this development with the Golden Dome missile shield?

Mao Ning: “Golden Dome” intends to create an unconstrained, global, multi-layer and multi-domain missile defense system. It plans to expand the U.S. arsenal of means for combat operations in outer space, including R&D and deployment of orbital interception systems. That gives the project a strong offensive nature and violates the principle of peaceful use in the Outer Space Treaty. The project will heighten the risk of turning the space into a war zone and creating a space arms race, and shake the international security and arms control system. This is yet another “America First” initiative that puts the U.S.’s absolute security above all else. It violates the principle of “undiminished security for all” and will hurt global strategic balance and stability. China is gravely concerned.

We urge the U.S. to give up developing and deploying global anti-missile system, and take concrete actions to enhance strategic trust between major countries and uphold global strategic stability.

Dragon TV: In its recent report, the UN projected global growth to slow to 2.4 percent in 2025, pointing to the impact of tariff war, among others. The figure is lower by 0.4 percentage points than its previous estimate issued in January. China also released the data of its economic performance for April recently. How do you view the impact of tariffs and other external factors on the Chinese economy? Are you worried about any possible shocks to China’s economy?

Mao Ning: On May 19, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on China’s economic performance in April. International media characterized China’s economy as exceeding expectations and resilient. It’s worth mentioning that China’s foreign trade has maintained steady growth despite the tariff hikes imposed on China. In the first four months, the total value of imports and exports of goods grew by 2.4 percent year on year, and exports rose by 7.5 percent, demonstrating strong international competitiveness. Meanwhile, China continues to expand opening up, providing greater space and more stable expectations for foreign businesses.

China is fully equipped, capable and confident in withstanding various risks and challenges.

PTI: My question relates to yesterday’s talks between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Dar. Besides what has been stated in the press releases, I just would like to draw to your attention what Mr. Dar has said that the two countries have discussed the future trajectory of the close relationship between Pakistan and China. Can you just provide any details or what exactly the kind of nature of this new relationship is going to be? And also, the report spoke of the security cooperation between the two countries in light of recent India-Pakistan conflict. Can you provide some details?

Mao Ning: Regarding the talks between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Chinese side has put out a readout and you may refer to that.

China and Pakistan are traditional friends and neighbors, and the two countries have very close cooperation in various fields, but the cooperation between China and Pakistan is not targeted at any third party.

As to the situation between India and Pakistan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out during his talks with the Pakistani Foreign Minister that China welcomes and supports efforts by India and Pakistan to properly handle their differences through dialogue, achieve a full and lasting ceasefire, and seek fundamental solutions. This is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides and conducive to regional peace and stability, as well as the shared expectation of the international community. As we stressed more than once, China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role to this end.

PTI: There is also report about China, Afghanistan and Pakistan meeting today. Is it a trilateral meeting? Or is there a kind of an official text to that? Can you provide some details of that?

Mao Ning: The foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan held an informal meeting in Beijing this morning. There will be a readout on the meeting. Please stay tuned.

Bloomberg: Just going back to the Ambassador’s comments about Hamas. Does the Foreign Ministry stand by those comments?

Mao Ning: On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China stands on the side of fairness and justice and is committed to working for an early ceasefire and the easing of humanitarian situation.

EFE: The European Commission said yesterday they planned to impose a two-euro tax on small packages into the European Union. Most of those packages come from China via digital platforms such as Temu or Shein. They argue that those packages “represent a new challenge for control and security” for the European Union. So what is China’s comment about this?

Mao Ning: I’d refer you to competent authorities for anything specific. China believes that an open and inclusive environment for international trade serves the interest of all. We hope the EU will honor its commitment to openness, provide an open, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses, and create favorable conditions for China-EU economic and trade cooperation.