Global Times: It is reported that, one day after making ritual offerings to the Yasukuni war shrine, Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi made a monetary offering to the shrine today, accompanied by Minoru Kiuchi, Japan’s Economic Growth Strategy Minister, Haruko Arimura, head of the Liberal Democratic Party’s General Council, and other cabinet members. What’s China’s comment?

Guo Jiakun: We’ve made China’s serious position clear yesterday. Japan’s negative moves related to the Yasukuni war shrine constitute a blatant provocation against international justice and an affront to human conscience. China is strongly indignant and severely condemns it.

During World War II, Japan’s militarism committed innumerable crimes, inflicting immense suffering on Asian countries including China, and the rest of the world. The Yasukuni war shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists’ war of aggression. It is in fact a shrine for war criminals, as it honors convicted Class-A war criminals responsible for the war of aggression in WWII, including Hideki Tojo, a warmonger and top war criminal; Kenji Doihara, a major culprit of the war of aggression against China; Iwane Matsui, the top perpetrator of the Nanjing Massacre; Osami Nagano, the one who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor; and Kuniaki Koiso, the one who killed numerous people resisting Japanese aggression on the Korean Peninsula. They are all major war criminals responsible for atrocities against the people in Asia and the rest of the world.

The nature of the issue concerning the Yasukuni war shrine is whether Japan is able to rightly perceive and deeply reflect on its history of militarist aggression, and whether it can learn lessons from history and avoid a repeat of that part of history. This bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations, on Japan’s credibility as a nation, and on the postwar international order as well as peace and justice in the world. The negative moves concerning the Yasukuni war shrine show that Japan, in total disregard of international concerns and just voices from both inside Japan and the world, has all along refused to acknowledge its history of aggression during WWII, attempted to change the verdict on its war of aggression and the Class-A war criminals, and even gone further to challenge the judgment of the Tokyo trials and postwar international order. Lately there has been a marked increase in the Japanese government’s negative moves and reckless provocative acts on issues concerning China’s Taiwan region and the history of WWII as well as military and security issues. Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan have had a grave impact on China-Japan relations. In the face of strong criticism and opposition from China as well as at home and abroad, some Japanese politicians and right-wing forces chose to go down the wrong path, rather than reflect on and correct their wrongdoings. The Chinese people, people in other countries that suffered under Japanese aggression, and all peace-loving forces for justice in the world will never allow this.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Tokyo trials. The trials found Japanese militarism and militarists guilty of launching and executing the war of aggression and related crimes, thus upholding historical truth, international justice and human dignity. Today, 80 years later, Japanese neo-militarism is rearing its ugly head and gaining strength, threatening to cast a shadow on world peace and security. The international community must respond resolutely to prevent any possible resurgence of Japanese militarism.

China Daily: April 26 marks the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day and China’s National IP Publicity Week is being launched starting from Monday. Recent years have witnessed breakthroughs in China’s emerging areas, such as AI, quantum technology and crewed space programs. “Innovated in China” is becoming even more well-known than “made in China.” That said, individual countries still try to accuse China of infringing on IP rights and “stealing” cutting-edge technologies in critical sectors and have rolled out bans on China. Can I have your comment on that?

Guo Jiakun: To protect IP rights is to protect innovation and enable high-quality development. China is one of the world’s leading countries in the area of IP and has been the top filer of international patent applications for years. China is committed to protecting intellectual property rights (IPR). We’ve established 81 national-level IPR protection centers, 50 fast IPR protection service centers and 99 overseas IPR dispute response guidance platforms, providing more satisfying IPR protection services for the society. More and more transnational corporations have set up their R&D centers in China and the number of valid invention patents applied in China has increased year by year. China is not only the world’s factory but is also becoming the world’s innovation lab. The allegations of intellectual property theft by China are nothing but baseless narratives.

China’s development is the result of its own dedication and effort as well as international cooperation that delivers mutual benefits. China will stay committed to the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the principle of openness, inclusiveness, balance and benefits for all, boost IPR international cooperation and advance a fairer and more just global governance system on IP.

AFP: The U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the ceasefire with Iran. First, what’s your reaction? And second, did Chinese diplomacy play a role in extending the ceasefire?

Guo Jiakun: The current situation in the region is at a critical stage of whether the conflict can end. The pressing priority is to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting. China supports relevant parties in continuing the political and diplomatic effort to resolve disputes with the aim of realizing a full and lasting ceasefire and keeping the Middle East and Gulf region peaceful and stable. China stands ready to act in the spirit of the four-point proposition put forward by President Xi Jinping and work with the international community to play an active and constructive role to this end.

Reuters: Taiwan said Lai Ching-te had to cancel his visit to Eswatini, as three African countries denied his overflight access. Taiwan said the countries Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar were under economic coercion from China to do so. What is China’s response to that? Did China reach out to those countries about the airspace access? And did China reach out to other African countries too?

Guo Jiakun: All African countries, with the sole exception of Eswatini, have established diplomatic ties with China. These 53 countries together with the African Union have adopted the Beijing Declaration at the 2024 FOCAC Summit. They have reiterated on many occasions that they firmly uphold the one-China principle, there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and they firmly support all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification. China highly commends relevant countries’ commitment to the one-China principle which is fully consistent with international law and basic norms governing international relations. It’s very clear that there’s no longer a so-called “ROC president” in the world anymore. Anyone who wears that false title is acting against history and will only invite disgrace upon themselves. The one-China principle is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends, and to uphold it is the right thing to do. No one can ever stop the eventual reunification of China. The separatist attempts aimed at “Taiwan independence” are just futile and doomed to fail.

Reuters: U.S. President Trump said in an interview that the Iranian ship the U.S. intercepted might have had a “gift from China.” And he said that he thought he “had an understanding” with China. What is China’s comment to this? What was on the Iranian-flagged vessel that was traveling from China?

Guo Jiakun: China has made clear its position more than once. Let me reiterate that as a responsible major country, China has always been a role model in performing its due international obligations.