CCTV reporter: On December 8, the U.S. announced sanctions against 14 vice chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China on the grounds of issues related to Hong Kong, and China said it would take countermeasures. What are the specific countermeasures?
Hua Chunying: In view of the U.S. side’s use of Hong Kong-related issues to seriously interfere in China’s internal affairs and damage China’s core interests, China has decided to impose reciprocal sanctions on U.S. executive branch officials, congressional personnel, non-governmental organization personnel and their immediate family members who have behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues and bear primary responsibility. At the same time, China has decided to cancel visa-free access to Hong Kong and Macau for U.S. diplomatic passport holders on a temporary basis.
China once again urges the U.S. side to immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and not to go further and further down the dangerous and wrong path.
Hubei Radio and Television Reporter: On December 8, Hubei donated a batch of epidemic prevention supplies and living materials to Mongolia, which is fighting against the epidemic. Previously, Mongolia had donated 30,000 sheep to China to support China’s fight against the epidemic. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and water. Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, the two sides have worked together to fight the epidemic, achieving positive results and leaving behind many touching stories and stories, including 30,000 sheep, showing the friendship between the Chinese and Mongolian people.
The epidemic situation in Mongolia has recently seen some new changes, and the pressure of epidemic prevention has increased, and anti-epidemic supplies are urgently needed. China has a tradition of reciprocity and return the favor. Many places, including Hubei and Inner Mongolia as you mentioned, have donated money and materials to help Mongolia fight the epidemic, and all the nucleic acid testing equipment and reagents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been put in place to help Mongolia fight the epidemic. All these vividly illustrate the concept of community of destiny and community of health.
We believe that the Mongolian people will be able to overcome the epidemic. China is also willing to continue to provide assistance within its capacity according to the needs of the Mongolian side.
Hubei Radio and Television reporter: According to reports, at the end of this month, Japan’s Ueno Zoo star giant panda “Xiang Xiang” will be sent back to China. After learning the news, the Ueno area in Tokyo, Japan held various send-off activities to express their sadness, thanks and blessings. Many Japanese netizens left messages expressing their sadness for “Xiang Xiang”. What does the spokesman have to say about this?
Hua Chunying: indeed, these days “Xiang Xiang” touched the hearts of many people, especially the hearts of the Japanese people. Knowing that “Xiang Xiang” may have to leave Japan, this morning Fuji TV also sent a questionnaire to the Foreign Ministry spokesman’s office. We have made some inquiries with the Chinese authorities. Since its launch in February 2011, the cooperative research project between China and Tokyo, Japan on giant pandas has been progressing very smoothly and has achieved fruitful results in the areas of giant panda conservation and breeding, scientific research, technology exchange, and public education. We fully understand the Japanese people’s reluctance to part with “Xiang Xiang” and are very grateful to the Japanese people, especially the Ueno Zoo, for the careful and thoughtful care given to “Xiang Xiang”. The simple and charming pandas have indeed brought a lot of joy to the Japanese people, especially the children, and have also become messengers of friendship between the two countries, making a unique contribution to the promotion of friendly feelings between the people of China and Japan.
It is understood that “Xiang Xiang” originally planned to return to China at the end of this year, affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, now may be difficult to return to China as originally planned. The two partners are stepping up contact from the perspective of the health and safety of giant pandas, and negotiating to determine the specific time of “Xiang Xiang’s” return to China. We hope and believe there will be good news soon.
U.S. Newswire: Today marks the second anniversary of the arrests of Kang Mingkai and Michael in China. There are reports that U.S. prosecutors are seeking a deal to have Meng’s criminal charges dismissed so she can return to China. If this happens, will both Kang and Michael return to Canada?
Hua Chunying: You are very concerned about when these two Canadian citizens will be able to return to China. We are also very concerned about when Ms. Meng Wanzhou will be able to return safely to her home country. The nature of these two cases is different. As we have said before, the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou is a pure and outright political incident, while the two Canadian citizens were arrested, prosecuted and tried by the Chinese authorities for alleged crimes against China’s national security, purely in accordance with the law. In this process, the legal rights of these two citizens were safeguarded.
AFP: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged U.S. universities to censor Chinese donations and Chinese students. He warned that China is trying to steal innovations. What does the Foreign Ministry have to say about this?
Hua Chunying: I have noticed the reports. I also noticed that two U.S. universities have criticized Pompeo’s remarks, saying that Pompeo’s attacks are completely wrong, shameful and intolerable. I believe you have seen this report.
Pompeo’s speech was full of ideological bias, slandering and discrediting China and the Communist Party of China, and stigmatizing Sino-US educational exchanges, fully revealing his sinister intention to deliberately undermine Sino-US friendship and cooperation.
It must be pointed out that Sino-U.S. educational exchanges and cooperation have enhanced mutual understanding between the two peoples. The cooperation between the two sides is mutually beneficial and win-win, as well as open and unquestionable, and is widely welcomed by the American academic community and the American people. Pompeo’s move is clearly unpopular.
We once again urge Pompeo’s stream to respect basic facts and stop making and selling counterfeits.
Xinhua: On December 8, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attending a video conference of the Russian International Affairs Council, said that the West refuses to accept the objective reality that a multipolar world is taking shape and, under the leadership of the United States, is trying its best to pull countries other than China and Russia into the unipolar world order, but China, Russia and others as a pole of the world will not succumb to this attempt of the West. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: Foreign Minister Lavrov’s views on not succumbing to the unipolar world order reflect the common voice of most countries in the international community. As you can see, at present, unilateralism and hegemonic practices undermine the international order and norms of international relations, and world peace and stability and international justice are facing real threats and serious challenges. To unite rather than divide, to cooperate rather than confront, to win together rather than zero-sum, and to promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction is the common aspiration of the vast majority of countries in the world, including China and Russia, especially the vast number of developing countries.
President Xi Jinping once profoundly pointed out that there is only one system in the world, namely the international system with the United Nations at its core, and only one set of rules, namely the basic norms of international relations based on the UN Charter. We believe that mutual respect and equality among countries of all sizes is the primary principle of the UN Charter. No country has the power to take over international affairs, dominate the fate of other countries and monopolize development advantages. To engage in dictatorship, hegemony and bullying will only lead to isolation, and to incite confrontation and division is inevitably against the current and unpopular.
In today’s increasingly global challenges, international affairs should be handled by all, by all countries to jointly maintain universal security, share the fruits of development, and jointly control the fate of the world. China believes that all countries are a community of shared destiny. China is ready to work with Russia and other countries in the world to defend multilateralism and international justice.
AFP: Yesterday, Hong Kong activist Law Kwun-chung and the British Home Secretary held their first meeting, and Law said that the British National (Overseas) Passport is of great significance to Hong Kong people who are increasingly losing their freedom. What does the Foreign Ministry have to say about this?
Hua Chunying: The person you are talking about does not represent the people of Hong Kong at all. Since the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law, Hong Kong’s legal system is more complete, social order is more stable, the majority of Hong Kong residents and foreign citizens in Hong Kong’s sense of security has increased significantly, thinking about stability and security, unity and development has become a social consensus. Recent public opinion surveys in Hong Kong show that more than 80% of Hong Kong residents believe that their daily lives have not been affected by the implementation of the National Security Law, and more than 70% of the public believe that the National Security Law has helped restore peace and quiet to the community. The positive effects of the National Security Law on Hong Kong are obvious to all and undeniable. All parties are confident in the future development of Hong Kong.
There are individuals who believe that their freedom has been affected. I think what they are affected by is the freedom to do whatever they want, to do wrong, and to undermine the rule of law and social stability in Hong Kong. I would also like to emphasize that the affairs of Hong Kong are purely an internal affair of China, and no country, organization or individual has the right to interfere. We urge the relevant external forces to abandon their attempts to interfere in Hong Kong affairs through political maneuvering.
Surfing News Reporter: Today is World Human Rights Day. Individual Western countries have raised concerns about the human rights situation in China. What is China’s response to this?
Hua Chunying: When looking at the human rights situation in a country, it is necessary to take a realistic attitude and speak with objective facts.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to the promotion and protection of human rights. We adhere to the people-centered concept of human rights, include the promotion and protection of human rights in the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the national development plan, make the right to survival and development the primary basic human rights, coordinate the promotion of the political, economic, cultural and environmental rights of all people, and successfully walk out a path of human rights development in line with China’s national conditions.
We have solved the food and clothing needs of 1.4 billion people, reduced poverty by more than 850 million people, provided employment for 770 million people, provided basic protection for 250 million elderly people, 85 million disabled people and more than 43 million urban and rural low-income people, had the world’s largest middle-income group, and built the world’s largest education system, social security system, medical system and democratic election system at the grassroots level. In the face of the sudden outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, China insists on putting people first and life first, insists on putting people’s life safety and physical health first, makes every effort to protect every life, attentively cares for every person’s health, and defends every person’s value and dignity. The recently held Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee considered and adopted the proposal on formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the 2035 Visionary Goals, and China will start a new journey of building a comprehensive socialist modern country, and it is believed that the human rights of the Chinese people will also be better protected.
China National Radio: We noticed that the Chinese Association for Friendship with the African People celebrated its 60th anniversary yesterday, what is the special significance of the friendly interaction between China and Africa in the context of the epidemic?
Hua Chunying: First of all, thank you for your concern and interest in the China-Africa Friendship Association. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate once again the Chinese Association for Friendship with the African People on its 60th anniversary. The Chinese say “60 ears of obedience”, which reflects that China-Africa friendship and cooperation has entered a mature stage.
The China-Africa Friendship Association is the earliest national civil society dedicated to civil diplomacy with Africa in China. In the past 60 years, the Association has grown as a historical witness and contributor to the friendship between Chinese and African people, and has become the backbone of China-Africa civil friendship.
Yesterday, FOCAC celebrated its 60th anniversary with the presence of Li Bin, Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of FOCAC, who delivered a speech. About 200 ambassadors from African countries and representatives from China and Africa attended the event. Many African friendship figures and organizations, including the Vice President of Uganda and the former Prime Minister of Tanzania, sent congratulatory messages to the event, praising the important contribution made by ACFCA to enhance the traditional friendship between China and Africa and promote mutual benefit and win-win situation, and all thanked the Chinese people for working together with the African people to unite against the epidemic and overcome the difficulties in times.
Last month, we just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and Wang Yi, the State Councilor and Foreign Minister, put forward four propositions on how China-Africa relations can scale new heights in line with the current trend, and how China-Africa cooperation can build on and upgrade its quality. Today, the 14th Senior Officials Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is being held in Beijing. China will work with its African friends to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and the Special Summit on China-Africa Solidarity against Epidemics, and strengthen cooperation in building the Belt and Road for the better benefit of the Chinese and African people.
Beijing Daily: The German Daily Mirror published a critical report with the title “China’s War Wolves” on the 8th, accusing China of “war wolf diplomacy”. The report was supposed to be accompanied by a picture of the Chinese character “權” (right), but with an extra dot it became the character “叉” (pitchfork). According to the report, the German Bundestag Human Rights Committee held a so-called “hearing on human rights in China” on Nov. 18, which drew criticism from the Chinese Embassy. The article quoted German Green Party anti-China lawmaker Bose as saying that China is practicing “war-wolf diplomacy”. What is your response to this?
Hua Chunying: I noticed that you mentioned that the German media wrote the word “right” as “pitchfork”, which was ridiculed by the Chinese media. But in fact, this low-level mistake is not surprising, because indeed, some people nowadays often make unfounded accusations against China when they clearly know nothing about China.
As for “wolf diplomacy”, I would like to ask those who accuse China of “wolf diplomacy” whether they have seen the Disney animated film “The Lion King”? I wonder what they say about that cute little lion – Simba who grows up and matures in the midst of all kinds of doubts, reproaches and blows?
We can all think back. Over time, a number of things have happened between China and individual countries. But which of these incidents, which of them, was caused by China’s provocation in the first place? Which one of them was China’s interference in the internal affairs of another country? Which one of them was China threatening or harming the interests of other countries?
Whether it is labeling the virus, politicizing the epidemic, stigmatizing China, or abusing the name of national security to brutally suppress Chinese enterprises and disrupt normal humanistic exchanges and economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation; whether it is interfering in China’s internal affairs in the name of so-called human rights, democracy and freedom, or openly violating the basic norms of international relations, viciously attacking China’s political system and even imposing unilateral sanctions at every turn, can anyone have the right to slander, attack, smear and hurt China at will? Can someone have the “right” to slander, attack, discredit and hurt China, while China cannot have the right to tell the truth? Does a citizen have the right to exercise legitimate defense in accordance with the law, while China, as a sovereign state, does not have the right to defend its sovereignty, security, development interests and national honor and dignity? Is it possible that someone can be like a tiger when they are verbally attacking China on a “trumped up” charge, while China can only be the “silent lamb”?
When I was a kid, there was a very popular TV series in China called “Huo Yuanjia”, and the theme song had a line that said, “Because of cowering and forbearance, people’s arrogance grows stronger”. Basically, the criticism about “war wolf diplomacy” is actually another version of the “China threat theory”, a “discourse trap” tailor-made for China by some people. The essence is that these people are used to being “teachers”, used to giving orders, and not used to being rebutted. Their aim is to make China not fight back, not call back, and to threaten and blackmail China into giving up its right to tell the truth by putting this label on it.
But these people should understand that China is not the China of a hundred years ago. China never bullies and bully others, but the Chinese are principled and have a backbone. Chinese diplomacy represents and defends the interests and dignity of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, who account for one-fifth of the world’s population. On the major issues of right and wrong that concern China’s sovereignty, security, development interests and international justice, Chinese diplomacy must resolutely and forcefully counter all malicious provocations, forcefully defend national interests and dignity, and safeguard international justice and fairness.
I would like to emphasize that China has always adhered to an independent and peaceful foreign policy. It has never been our diplomatic tradition to be aggressive. But it is also not the Chinese temperament to grovel. In the face of hegemony and bullying, Comrade Mao Zedong has long said, “If people do not offend me, I will not offend them; if they offend me, I will offend them. China does not take the initiative to cause trouble, but it is not afraid of trouble and will not be coerced into blackmail. If some people call China’s diplomacy “war wolf” diplomacy just because China has responded to bottomless attacks, smears and abuses and stated the truth, then in order to safeguard China’s sovereignty and security, development interests, national honor and dignity, and international fairness and justice, we should do it. What’s the harm of being a “war wolf”?
Indian Broadcasting Corporation correspondent: Indian Foreign Minister Su Jaisheng said that China has provided a different explanation for its deployment of thousands of soldiers on the Line of Actual Control, pushing bilateral relations to the most difficult phase ever. He also said that for some reason China has violated several agreements signed by both sides since 1993, in which both sides committed not to send large forces to the Line of Actual Control. What is the Foreign Ministry’s response to this?
Hua Chunying: As neighbors and two of the world’s largest emerging market countries, China and India maintain good relations in the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples, but at the same time, both sides need to work together in a mutually beneficial manner. The rights and wrongs of the relevant developments in the Sino-Indian border area are very clear, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side. China has always strictly abided by the agreements signed between India and China, and is committed to resolving the border issue through negotiations and consultations, and to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border area, while China’s determination to safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty is unwavering. We hope that the Indian side and the Chinese side will move in the same direction and do more things that are conducive to unity and cooperation and common development.
Beijing Youth Daily: On the 8th, it was reported that Republican U.S. Senator Rubio and others sent letters to top executives at Intel and Nvidia asking for information related to sales of advanced chips to China, questioning whether they knew the chips were being used to support Chinese police mass surveillance of Uighurs in Xinjiang. In addition, there have been media reports that local Chinese governments use facial recognition software that can provide early warning of the presence of Uighurs. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: We all know that Rubio has always been anti-China and is keen to concoct various lies to smear China and use them for political gains, with no political integrity to speak of.
The use of modern technology products and big data methods to improve social governance is a common practice in the international community, and the United States is no exception. Xinjiang has installed cameras in relevant public places in accordance with the law, a measure that does not target any particular ethnic group and is aimed at improving social governance and effectively preventing and combating crime. In fact, this measure has also enhanced the sense of social security and has received the general support of the people of all ethnic groups.
Speaking of “surveillance,” in fact, the United States has been criticized for using high-tech means to carry out mass surveillance activities. According to the U.S. media’s own reports, in 2017, the U.S. government has required the nation’s top 20 airports to conduct face scanning identification of passengers. The New York police built a city surveillance system with surveillance devices for pedestrians and vehicles on every corner and tracked personal cell phone information for inventory checks. The U.S. government at all levels has eight secret surveillance centers in Texas alone, sharing intelligence and monitoring social media and online forums. A June 4, 2019 report by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller revealed that the FBI’s Office of Face Recognition can arbitrarily retrieve a database containing more than 641 million photos without legal permission. A study published by Georgetown University also shows that about half of American adults (more than 117 million people) are included in the facial recognition systems used by law enforcement agencies, with African-Americans more likely to be scrutinized than other ethnicities. I also read a report on the Guardian website on July 17 of this year that at least a quarter of U.S. law enforcement agencies are able to use facial recognition technology with little oversight, and that in New York City alone, the New York Police Department used facial recognition more than 8,000 times last year, in conjunction with a so-called “gang database” covering 42,000 New Yorkers, the vast majority of whom are people of color. They added protesters’ names to the database for unjust follow-up surveillance and “selective enforcement. It is also an open secret that U.S. agencies have long violated international law and basic norms of international relations by conducting large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber theft, surveillance and attacks on foreign governments, businesses and individuals.
We urge the U.S. side to abandon double standards, stop political manipulation, stop concocting lies about the border and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs through border-related issues.
Reuters: The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Macau gang leader Wan Kwok Kui, saying he is a member of China’s National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and that he controls the World Association of Hongmen History and Culture, which carries out criminal acts in the name of “One Belt, One Road”. What is China’s comment on this? Can you confirm whether Yin Guoju is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference?
Hua Chunying: You just said yourself that this person is a gang leader. I saw the report and learned that the person in question is not at all a member of the Chinese national or local CPPCC. This can only be another example: some people on the U.S. side are indeed fabricating lies and attacking and smearing China by any means necessary, and such behavior is really disgraceful.
China Daily reporter: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday that more than 60 countries, including 27 EU countries, and about 130 telecom companies have abandoned China’s 5G technology. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: I’d like to ask Pompeo to put a list of the more than 60 countries and related telecom companies, including 27 EU countries, he said, and show it to everyone. See if he can list them? As far as I understand, the U.S. side is all over the world lobbying and coercing other countries to join his so-called “network”, and some countries are actually being “coerced” and “joined”.
Chinese companies have proven to maintain a good cybersecurity record. In the past 30 years, Huawei has built more than 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions around the world, providing services to 228 global Fortune 500 companies and serving a population of more than 3 billion. “There has not been a single network security incident similar to Snowden or WikiLeaks, and there has not been a single network surveillance like Prism Gate, Formula One, or Echelon System. No country has been able to produce evidence of the existence of “backdoors” in Huawei products. Huawei has long been openly willing to sign a “no-backdoor” agreement and to establish a network security assessment center in any country. Which American company can make the same commitment? Do they dare?
According to an AFP report in October, the U.S. and other “Five Eyes Alliance” countries have publicly requested “backdoors” in encryption applications such as Signal and Telegram to provide access to law enforcement agencies. The U.S. side has not provided any explanation or clarification so far.
The real purpose is to suppress non-U.S. companies that have achieved a leading edge and to suppress the legitimate development rights of other countries in order to maintain the U.S. monopoly of private interests and technological hegemony. Bullying is unpopular, and coercion will not have a market. We believe that most countries will recognize the truth, uphold an objective and impartial position, and make independent judgments.
Kyodo News: Just now you talked about issues involving Hong Kong, are the sanctions against the U.S. launched today? Is there any information on the specific people being sanctioned?
Hua Chunying: I have just said that China will impose reciprocal sanctions on U.S. executive branch officials, congressional personnel, non-governmental organization personnel and their immediate family members who have behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues and bear primary responsibility. As for which ones, these people know full well what they are doing.
Press Trust of India: You just answered a question about Indian Foreign Minister Su Jaisheng by saying that China and India have to work together. One of the key points that Sujesen made in this interview is that while negotiations on the border issue are taking place, China and India have also reached several agreements on important aspects such as trade and travel. He also claims that the lives of people in the border region could probably remain business as usual. Can you be specific about what joint efforts are now needed on both sides? There have been many agreements between the two sides before, and now in the face of the new situation on the border issue, how should the two sides work together to resolve the border issue and make more progress in bilateral relations?
Hua Chunying: On the border issue, as I said earlier, the rights and wrongs of the relevant developments in the Sino-Indian border area are very clear. China has always strictly abided by the agreements signed between China and India, and is committed to resolving the border issue through negotiations and consultations, and to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border area, while, as with any sovereign state, China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering. The current situation, from the Indian side what need to reflect on, this is a question that needs to be taken seriously.
It is true that China-India relations are currently facing difficulties and challenges, but China’s policy toward India has not changed. We have always believed that it is in the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples for China and India, as two large neighboring countries and emerging economies with a population of 1 billion, to maintain good relations. China will remain committed to maintaining and developing the relationship between the two countries, and will also be committed to maintaining peace and stability in the border region. With regard to the border and other historical issues, China has always advocated finding a just and reasonable solution that is acceptable to both sides through peaceful and friendly consultations, while placing the border issue in the proper place in bilateral relations. We hope that the Indian side and the Chinese side will move in the same direction, effectively implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, properly manage differences, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, and promote China-India relations to return to a healthy and stable development track.
Reporter from Hubei Radio and Television: On December 8, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt and Representative to the LAS Liao Liqiang went to the headquarters of the LAS Secretariat to hand over the second batch of anti-epidemic materials from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist the LAS. Chief of Staff and Principal Assistant Secretary General of LAS Zazi accepted the supplies on behalf of the League. Can you introduce the relevant information?
Hua Chunying: Since the outbreak of the new pneumonia epidemic, China and the Arab countries have been working together to help each other, setting an example of cooperation between countries in the fight against the epidemic, which has become a vivid depiction of the common destiny of China and the Arab countries. At the most difficult moment of China’s fight against the epidemic, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr. Gheit, wrote to State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to express his support; Arab countries donated more than 10 million masks and other much-needed medical supplies to the Chinese side. China empathizes with the Arab countries that have been hit by the epidemic. President Xi Jinping sent letters of support to a number of Arab leaders. China has provided more than 1 million test kits and 18 million masks to Arab countries and sent medical experts to eight Arab countries. The two sides have held more than 40 expert video conferences, and China’s cooperation with the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and other countries on vaccines is progressing smoothly.
The second batch of materials donated by China this time includes 130,000 N95 masks, which we hope will provide support for the LAS Secretariat to deal with the rebound of the winter epidemic. Previously, China has provided 200,000 ordinary masks and 9,000 N95 masks to the LAS Secretariat. This is a concrete action to implement the Joint Statement on Solidarity between China and Arab Countries in Combating the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic.
At the handover ceremony, LAS Chief Assistant Secretary General Zazi said that the donation of the second batch of anti-epidemic materials by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is another testimony to the enduring friendship between China and Arabia, and once again reflects the importance China attaches to the brotherly friendship between China and Arabia. The League expects that with the joint efforts of China and Afghanistan and the solidarity and cooperation of all countries in the world, mankind can overcome the Newcastle pneumonia epidemic as soon as possible. The League is ready to continue to support each other with China and jointly promote the deepening development of Arab-Chinese friendly relations. We believe that after the test of joint fight against the epidemic, the mutual trust and friendship between China and Afghanistan will continue to develop deeply.
Shenzhen TV reporter: U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo delivered a speech in which he again attacked that the Chinese Communist Party had released the New Crown virus. U.S. President Donald Trump retweeted yesterday about the record number of new deaths in Germany, again referring to the “Chinese virus”. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: The new coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind. The WHO and the international community are clearly against associating the virus with specific countries and regions, and against stigmatization. I believe you have noticed that some recent international studies have concluded that the new coronavirus spread overseas before the outbreak in China, with the timeline repeatedly advanced. This reaffirms that virus traceability is a complex scientific issue that should be studied by scientists on a global scale with international scientific research and cooperation.
The cumulative number of diagnoses within the United States has now exceeded 15 million, an increase of more than a million in a single week, which means that 1 in 22 Americans is diagnosed. The number of deaths in the United States has approached 300,000, with more than 3,000 new cases added in one day yesterday. The U.S. accounts for 4.2% of the world’s population, but 22.2% of the world’s confirmed cases, and more than five times the number of cases per million people. I note that the U.S. media is reporting that the epidemic has evolved into a humanitarian disaster in the United States. Some U.S. politicians, in order to cover up the fact that they are not doing enough to fight the epidemic, are trying to label the virus and politicize the epidemic, engaging in political maneuvering on the origin of the virus, spreading political viruses and political lies, and trying to “dump” and shift the blame. As we can see, the United States has now become the biggest source of the virus. The facts prove that this behavior is neither scientific nor moral. It is harmful to others and to oneself. We advise the U.S. politicians concerned to respect facts and science, stop stigmatizing and politically manipulating the epidemic, put their minds and energy into fighting the epidemic at home, and do their best to safeguard the lives and health of the American people. China is willing to provide help and support to the American people in the fight against the epidemic as much as it can.
Reuters: Standard & Poor’s and Dow Jones announced today that they have removed a number of Chinese companies from their stock and equity indices. What is China’s comment on this?
Hua Chunying: I answered a similar question a few days ago. This is obviously influenced by the relevant executive order of the U.S. government, and is another new example of the U.S. side using state power and abusing the name of national security to suppress Chinese companies. We firmly oppose the relevant practices of the U.S. government. We believe that the U.S. side’s behavior of fabricating all kinds of lies and rumors and hounding Chinese enterprises without bottom line will eventually prove to be not in the U.S. own interests.
Reuters: The Chinese embassy in the U.S. said its Twitter account was hacked and denied retweeting a tweet by President Trump on the 9th accusing the Democratic Party of cheating in the election. What further explanation does the Chinese side have?
Hua Chunying: The Chinese Embassy in the United States has made a statement that the embassy did not retweet any tweets on the 9th.
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