CCTV: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in an interview on August 2 that India-China relations have important implications not only for the two countries but also for the world. Both sides must have an accurate understanding of each other’s concerns and interests. The basis for the China policies adopted by successive Indian governments is that India and China have gradually normalized bilateral relations while maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas. The situation on the border and bilateral relations with China cannot be viewed separately. Reaching an equilibrium with China is not going to be easy and India must stand its ground and the key is to make China value India more. What is China’s comment?
Wang Wenbin: China has noted relevant reports. We also believe that stronger solidarity and cooperation between China and India, the two largest developing countries and emerging economies, will not only inject strong impetus into our respective development, but also add stability and positive energy to world peace and prosperity. The two sides should always place the boundary issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations and avoid differences escalating into disputes. It is hoped that India will work with China in the same direction and jointly safeguard the overall interests of bilateral relations with concrete actions.
Reuters: India is considering measures to prevent trade partners mainly in Southeast Asia from re-routing Chinese goods to India with little added value. How do you comment about this?
Wang Wenbin: China has noted relevant reports. Chinese products exported to India meet the demand of India’s domestic market and the needs of production and life for the Indian people. Practical cooperation between the two countries is mutually beneficial and win-win. It is not in India’s own interest to sabotage this pattern of cooperation.
Beijing Youth Daily: For some time, the US biological militarization activities overseas have caused great concern and raised many questions and objections. For example, recently, the ROK media have repeatedly reported that the US military stationed in the ROK have conducted activities violating the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and a large number of social groups there have demanded the closure of relevant US military laboratories and the expulsion of relevant US troops stationed in the ROK. What is China’s comment?
Wang Wenbin: I have noted relevant situation. The US has conducted activities of biological militarization in many countries which have indeed caused widespread skepticism and opposition. The reasons are as follows: first, those US biological militarization activities are not transparent. Many of the countries involved have no idea what the US military labs are doing. The US is the one that has conducted the largest number of biological militarization activities overseas, yet none of which is mentioned in the CBMs submitted by the United States to the BWC. Second, they are not safe. Many of their activities are closely related to high-risk pathogens. If any accident occurs, it will have disastrous consequences for the country concerned, its neighbors and the whole world. Third, they are unjustified. Looking around, only the US, spearheaded by its military, is building biological labs around the world and collecting without restraint biological resources abroad, and only the US is opposed to negotiating a BWC verification protocol. No matter how the US explains it, it cannot justify itself.We urge the US side to be a responsible party, take the concerns of the international community seriously, clarify its overseas biological militarization activities, earnestly fulfill its BWC obligations, and stop being the only one that stands in the way of the negotiations on a BWC verification protocol.
South China Morning Post: The Global Times Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin twittered that the US side hasn’t renewed visa of Chinese journalists and the Chinese side will retaliate, suggesting that US journalists in Hong Kong may be targeted. Do you have any comment?
Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant reports. On May 8, the US limited visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days, requiring them to apply for visa renewal every 90 days. As we understand, relevant Chinese journalists already applied for visa extension but none of them has received reply from the US side.
For a while, the US, entrenched in the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, launched one round of political suppression after another against Chinese media. In December 2018, it demanded relevant Chinese media organization’s US office to register as “foreign agent”. Since 2018, the US has indefinitely delayed approval and even denied application of visa for 20 US-based Chinese journalists. In February 2020, the US designated five Chinese media organizations in the US as “foreign missions” and then placed a cap on the number of their staff, in effect expelling 60 Chinese journalists. In May, the US limited visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days. In June, the US again added an additional four Chinese media organizations in the US to the list of “foreign agent”.
I want to stress that Chinese journalists have followed journalism ethics and the principle of objectiveness, fairness, truthfulness and accurateness when conducting reporting activities across the world, including in the US. The relevant US actions have severely disrupted Chinese journalists’ normal reporting activities, gravely damaged the reputation of the Chinese media and affected the normal people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. While priding itself on freedom of the press, the US now willingly obstructs the Chinese media from doing their job. Such a two-faced behavior exposed its hypocrisy in so-called freedom of the press, nothing short of double standards and hegemonic bullying.
We said many times that the US caused the current situation and is responsible for it. The US should immediately correct its mistakes and stop its political oppression on the Chinese media and journalists. If the US is bent on going down the wrong path and doubles down on its mistakes, China is compelled to make necessary and legitimate reactions to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.You also asked whether US journalists in Hong Kong will be affected. I want to tell you that the HKSAR is part of China’s territory. The Central Government has the diplomatic authority to make reactions in response to US oppression of Chinese media organizations in the US.
