At the invitation of President U Thein Sein of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar that holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council will attend the 17th China-ASEAN (ASEAN Plus One) Leaders' Meeting, the 17th Leaders' Meeting between ASEAN, China, Japan and the ROK (ASEAN Plus Three) and the 9th East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, and pay an official visit to Myanmar from November 12 to 14.
Tomorrow morning at 10 o' clock, Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, Vice Finance Minister Shi Yaobin and Assistant Commerce Minister Tong Daochi will hold a press briefing at the Blue Room in the Foreign Ministry on Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Myanmar. They will take questions from the press. Welcome to the briefing.
Q: Indonesian Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said on November 4 that Indonesia could decide as early as next week to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). What is China's comment on that?
A: Indonesia is an important economy in Asia. The Chinese side looks forward to an early and formal decision from the Indonesian side on joining the AIIB as a founding member. The Chinese side is ready to work with all parties concerned, including Indonesia to ensure that the AIIB will be put into place and come into play at an early date as a multilateral platform of development that benefits all parties.
Q: The Mexican side announced on November 4 that an international consortium headed by China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. has won the contract to build a high-speed rail line connecting Mexico City with Queretaro. What is China's comment on that?
A: The winning of the contract by the China-Mexico consortium to build the Mexican high-speed rail line is a major stride made by the two countries in infrastructure cooperation. We hope that companies of the two countries can cooperate closely to fulfill the rail line contract, make it the flagship of its kind, speed up practical cooperation between China and Mexico in various fields and enrich China-Mexico comprehensive strategic partnership.
China enjoys cutting-edge technologies in building high-speed railways and rich experience in operating them. We are among the best in the world. China is ready to enhance cooperation with other countries in this field.
Q: US Secretary of State John Kerry made a speech about China-US relations on November 4 at Johns Hopkins University. What is China's comment on that?
A: We have noted the speech made by US Secretary of State Kerry. The track record of China-US diplomatic relations over the past 35 years fully testifies that China and the US enjoy important common interests and share broad space for cooperation. Under the new circumstances, the two sides should and can step up cooperation at bilateral, regional and global dimensions to jointly safeguard and promote peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the world at large. As two countries that have different historical and cultural traditions, social systems and economic development levels, it is only natural that there are differences between China and the US. The two sides should respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences and deal with these differences in a constructive way.
The Chinese side stands ready to make joint efforts with the American side to earnestly implement consensus reached between heads of state of the two countries, stick to the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, push for constant progress of the new type of major-country relationship between China and the US and deliver more benefits to the two peoples and people from across the world.
We welcome President Barack Obama's attendance at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and his state visit to China. We hope that the visit will produce positive outcomes with the concerted efforts of both sides.
Q: Many Chinese fishermen were found illegally harvesting red coral in the coastal waters of Japan. What measure has the Chinese side taken to ban the illegal harvest?
A: The Chinese side firmly cracks down on the illegal harvest of the endangered species of red coral, the trade of which is explicitly banned by the domestic law and restricted by the international convention. We will strengthen the regulation through publicity, education and strict law enforcement. We also hope that law enforcement bodies of both China and Japan can enhance cooperation so as to properly address relevant issues.
Q: Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten reportedly said before the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee that there was an "extraordinary lack of leadership" from the Hong Kong SAR government in dealing with "Occupy Central", and that the UK-China Joint Declaration "provides obligations on China" to the UK for 50 years. He also said on a separate occasion that the "Occupy Central" protesters have left him with great impression. What is China's comment?
A: "Occupy Central" is completely illegal. The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR government in dealing with it in accordance with law. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. No foreign governments, institutions nor individuals have the right to meddle in Hong Kong affairs.
As the UK's last colonial governor in Hong Kong, the relevant person should know better, recognize the change of the circumstances and the passage of time, and immediately stop inciting illegal activities of "Occupy Central".
Q: The US is preparing to circulate a draft resolution in the UN to impose sanctions on South Sudan for its abuse of human rights. What is China's view on that?
A: When it comes to human rights, we always maintain that we should carry out dialogue and cooperation in this regard based on mutual respect. We oppose using sanctions at every turn in international affairs.
Q: During the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the US, Japan and other negotiating parties to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will hold a ministerial negotiation in Beijing. Host country as China is to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, it will not attend the ministerial negotiation. What is China's comment on that?
A: There are rich topics at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting which will play an important role in promoting regional economic integration and Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). We hope that all the participants will concentrate on discussing APEC topics and work for important outcomes of the meeting.