China MOFA briefing

(26 Dec 2024)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beijing - 26 December 2024
Spokesperson: Mao Ning
Duration: 4:01


STORYLINE:
1. Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who was visiting China. Could the spokesperson provide details on this meeting?

The tone of this China-Japan foreign ministers' meeting was friendly, positive, and constructive. It focused on implementing the important consensus reached during the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Lima. The two sides had fruitful discussions on comprehensively advancing the China-Japan strategic and mutually beneficial relationship and building a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era.
Both foreign ministers agreed that China-Japan relations have significant importance beyond the bilateral scope. They should continue to engage in exchanges and cooperation at all levels and through various channels, enhance mutual understanding and trust, properly handle conflicts and differences, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations along the right track. We have already released the details of the meeting, which you can refer to.

2. Yesterday, the second meeting of the China-Japan High-Level People-to-People Exchange Consultation Mechanism was held in Beijing. Could you provide more details on this meeting?

Both sides reviewed the progress in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries since the first meeting of the mechanism. They reached ten consensuses on exchanges and cooperation in areas such as youth, education, tourism, sister cities, sports, culture and entertainment, media and think tanks, and women. We hope that both sides will use this meeting as an opportunity to expand two-way exchanges, innovate the content of exchanges, create a healthy and rational public opinion environment, establish correct and objective mutual perceptions, and build more bridges for friendly exchanges between the people, contributing to the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations.

3. Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro stated that the deployment of the Typhon intermediate-range missiles by the US in the Philippines in the context of joint exercises is legitimate and lawful. The Philippines is a sovereign country and not the backyard of any country. The deployment and procurement of defense and security-related materials are the sovereign rights of the Philippines and they do not accept foreign opposition. The Philippines' enhancement of its defense capabilities under the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Plan is based on its national interests and independent foreign policy, targeting security threats and challenges rather than any specific country. While China criticizes the Philippines for developing its military capabilities, it is continuously enhancing its own nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. What is China's comment on this?

The nuclear-conventional Typhon mid-range missile system is not a defensive weapon, but a strategic and offensive one. The Philippines has worked with the U.S. to bring in the Typhon system. This is placing its national security and defense in the hands of others, introducing geopolitical confrontation and arms race into the region and posing substantive threats to regional peace and security. Whose interest does this move serve and how could anyone believe this is an independent foreign policy? What the Philippines is doing benefits no one.

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