Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on December 19, 2024

2024-12-19 20:45

CCTV: The Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) was successfully held last week. According to foreign media commentary, the CEWC shows that amid sluggish global recovery and unprecedented challenges facing globalization, China remains a top engine for global economic growth and will shore up its position in leading global growth. Also, according to the latest Sentiment Survey by the British Chamber of Commerce in China and the Business Confidence Survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China, 76 percent of British companies are maintaining or increasing their investment in China, 92 percent of German companies plan to maintain their operations, and over half of German companies plan to increase investment within the next two years in China. What’s your comment?

Lin Jian: Over the course of this year, despite rising uncertainties in the global economy, China has been steadfastly pursuing high-quality development and high-standard opening up. China’s economy has been generally stable and continued to gain momentum, and remains a stabilizer and propeller for the global economy. In the first three quarters this year, China’s economy grew by 4.8 percent—one of the fastest among all major economies. In the first 11 months this year, China’s total foreign trade in goods grew by 4.9 percent year on year, and new foreign-funded companies in China increased by 8.9 percent. China is expected to hit this year’s economic and social development targets. China has held annually the China International Import Expo and the China International Supply Chain Expo for years running. China has granted all least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, and abolished all market access restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector. China’s openness index is up 11.89 percent since 2008. China is also a major trade partner of over 150 countries and regions and has long been the world’s second largest recipient of foreign capital. As you mentioned, many foreign companies are planning to increase investment in China—a vote of confidence for the China market.

China’s economy has a stable foundation, numerous strengths, remarkable resilience and vast potential. The dominating trend of a sound Chinese economy for the long term and the elements supporting it have not changed. This is the major reason why China is fully confident in sharing its opportunities and prospering with the world. The CEWC once again sent the strong message of a more open China, which means China will not stop achieving a continued upward trajectory of the Chinese economy, and its commitment to promoting global development and prosperity through Chinese modernization will not change, and China’s resolve to share development opportunities with the world is as strong as ever. We welcome more foreign businesses to invest and thrive for the long term in China, and succeed and share a promising future together with China.

AFP: The United States Defense Department has released its annual report on China’s military and security developments in which it highlighted a wave of corruption across the PLA that has damaged China’s military modernization. What is the Foreign Ministry’s comment on the report?

Lin Jian: This report, like the ones we’ve seen before, lays little emphasis on truth. It is filled with bias and designed to amplify the “China threat” narrative only to justify the US’s desire to maintain military supremacy. China is fully committed to being a force for peace, stability and progress in the world. We are equally determined to defend our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. We call on the US to abandon the Cold War mentality and hegemonic way of thinking, view China’s strategic intention and defense development in an objective and rational way, stop issuing this kind of irresponsible report year after year, and make sure what it does is conducive to a stable relationship between the two countries and the two militaries.

Xinhua News Agency: Recently, the US-based Foreign Policy magazine published an article titled “What China Got Right in Latin America,” noting that China’s offer to build large investments and address long-ignored developmental deficits in Latin America stands in contrast to high-minded rhetoric from the US-led West about ideologies. Have you noted the article and do you have any comment on that?

Lin Jian: I noted the article as well. If anyone wants to know what China got right in Latin America, the answer is pretty simple. China has all along observed the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation in growing friendly ties with Latin America. Between China and Latin America, there is no zero-sum and the-winner-takes-all geopolitical calculations, only sincere mutual support and cooperation for shared progress.

I believe many of you know that yesterday, the first ship departing from Peru’s Chancay Port and bound for Shanghai entered Shanghai’s port, marking the completion of the first ever two-way voyage between Chancay and Shanghai. Besides, in Colombia’s capital Bogotá, residents’ metro dream became true with the completion of Metro Line 1. The Helios wind power cluster in Argentina provides clean energy for 360,000 households. The first modern highway in Jamaica more than halved traffic time between the south and north coasts. Satellite cooperation between China and Bolivia ensured free access to TV programs for half a million households. These and many other projects have delivered tangibly to Latin American countries and made lives better for the local population.

“A port of all, a port for all” is a slogan on quay cranes at Chancay Port in Peru. Likewise, China-Latin America cooperation is a voluntary choice of both sides as it serves the interest of the two peoples. As Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted at the Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations recently, China will always be committed to unity and invigoration of the Global South and help fellow developing countries move faster in rejuvenation. As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, China stands ready to work with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to continue to support each other through solidarity and cooperation and boost the connection and mutual learning between the Chinese dream and the LAC dream. We hope to see more infrastructure projects like Chancay Port whose running will deliver more benefits to the people in Latin America and the Caribbean in the future.

TASS: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with The Foreign Affairs that the US is aligning policies with Europe and with key partners in Asia and that China’s complaint is the greatest evidence of the success of the US’s approach. Blinken also said that Taiwan is not just China’s business but the world’s business and it is because the world would be influenced if there were to be a crisis over Taiwan. What’s China