China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin held a Press Conference on Nov 2, 2023

Reuters: It is reported that China will hold nuclear arms control talks with US officials next week. Can you confirm this and give us any more information?

Wang Wenbin: As we mentioned the other day about the visit to the US by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China and the US agreed to hold a number of consultations soon including on arms control and non-proliferation, an area in which China stays in close contact with the world’s major countries. We’re going to hold consultations with the US on arms control and non-proliferation at the director-general’s level in Washington D.C. next week. The Chinese delegation will be led by the head of the Department of Arms Control of China’s Foreign Ministry. According to the agreed agenda, our two sides will exchange views on a wide range of issues such as the implementation of international arms control treaties and non-proliferation.

CCTV: China has assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for November. Can you share China’s consideration for the Security Council’s work in this month?

Wang Wenbin: China assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for November yesterday. China’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Zhang Jun has outlined to the press and UN member states our consideration for the work during China’s presidency of the Security Council.

The situation in Gaza is at the top of the Security Council’s agenda for this month. The pressing priority is to stop the fighting, avoid more civilian casualties, avert a larger humanitarian catastrophe, and prevent further spillover of the conflict. During its rotating presidency, China will echo the call of the international community and step up coordination with relevant parties, especially Arab countries, to uphold justice, build up consensus, and galvanize timely, responsible and meaningful actions in the Security Council to deescalate the conflict, protect civilians, ease the humanitarian situation and restore the peace process, and strive to bring the Palestinian question back to the track of the two-state solution.

The Security Council will also review regional hotspot issues such as Syria, Yemen, the Central African Republic and Somalia. China has proposed an open debate at the Security Council on the promotion of sustaining peace through common development.

China is a force for world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. We are committed to the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The Security Council bears the prime responsibility for safeguarding international peace and security. China will seek ways to enable the Security Council to be action-oriented, enhance solidarity and cooperation and improve authority and efficiency so as to fulfill its duty mandated by the UN Charter, lend support to mediation and diplomatic efforts, commit to deescalation, strive for political settlement of hotspot issues, and work actively for global common security.

Beijing Daily: It is reported that the recently released IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific predicted that the Asia-Pacific’s economic growth rate for this year is expected to reach 4.6 percent and the region will account for two thirds of world economic growth. A report by the Asian Development Bank shows that China will account for 64.2 percent of the Asia-Pacific’s economic growth. Would you like to comment on this??

Wang Wenbin: We have noted relevant reports.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for one-third of the world’s total population, more than 60 percent of the world’s economy and nearly half of global trade. It is a powerhouse of global economic growth. Over the past decades, Asia-Pacific cooperation has gained deep traction and created the remarkable “Asia-Pacific Miracle”. Since the start of this year, the Asia-Pacific region has shown notable economic resilience and vitality, with market demand picking up and sectors booming such as tourism and the digital economy sector. In June, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) came into full effect and further boosted economic growth in the region.

The Asia-Pacific region is the shared home of China and regional countries. China is an important participant in regional cooperation and economic integration in the Asia-Pacific. It is also a major trading partner of many Asia-Pacific economies and an important node in the regional industrial and supply chains. Over the course of this year, China’s economy has seen a sustained rebound, providing new opportunities for regional and global economic recovery. China is advancing high-quality implementation of RCEP, actively building the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 with ASEAN members, working towards joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement and further deepening trade and investment connections with the rest of the region.

China will keep working with regional partners to advance true multilateralism and open regionalism, make the Asia-Pacific a leading force for cooperation and development, build a more inclusive Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, and inject stronger impetus into regional and global economic recovery and sustainable development.?

Asahi TV: Today saw the cremation of former Premier Li Keqiang. The Japanese Ambassador to China came to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and left a message of condolences in the memorial guest book. How many countries’ representatives have come to express their condolences?

Wang Wenbin: Some foreign diplomatic missions in China have extended condolences and sympathies through various ways to China over Comrade Li Keqiang’s passing.

Reuters: It is reported that six Chinese citizens were kidnapped in Manila this week and the Philippine authorities are searching for them. Can you confirm this and share more information???

Wang Wenbin: The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines is verifying the information. The embassy will stay in close contact with the Philippine authorities and make every effort to move the investigation forward and have the individuals rescued as soon as possible.

AFP: A spokesperson of Myanmar’s military said this afternoon that Myanmar’s military has lost control over a strategic town along the Chinese border following clashes in the region. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China is closely following the conflict in northern Myanmar. We urge parties to immediately stop the fighting, settle differences peacefully through dialogue and consultation, avoid escalation of the situation and take effective measures to ensure security and stability at the China-Myanmar border.

Reuters: Some countries have started to evacuate their nationals from Gaza. Will China arrange chartered planes or flights for Chinese citizens evacuating from Gaza? If so, where will their boarding point be? How many Chinese nationals are still in Gaza?

Wang Wenbin: We attach high importance to the safety of Chinese nationals in Gaza. We have been in close touch with them and provided help as much as we can. The Foreign Ministry is coordinating with relevant parties to assist Chinese nationals in exiting Gaza as soon as possible.

Global Times: It’s reported that TEPCO started to dump the third batch of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean on November 2. The discharge is expected to last through November 20 and reach nearly 7,800 tons. What’s China’s comment?

Wang Wenbin: Despite domestic and international opposition, Japan has dumped 15,600 tons of nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, blatantly and irresponsibly spreading the risk of contamination worldwide. The recent incident of radioactive waste water being splashed onto workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is yet another example of TEPCO’s problematic internal management and habit of deceiving the public. It makes people doubt once again the credibility of Japan’s purportedly “safe and transparent” discharge plan. Japan needs to take seriously the widespread international concerns, engage in thorough consultations with other stakeholders, especially its neighbors, and dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible way.

With more Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water being dumped into the sea, it has become all the more urgent to put in place an international monitoring arrangement that will remain effective over the long run with the substantive participation of all stakeholders including Japan’s neighbors. The IAEA needs to play its due role and Japan should fully cooperate so as to avoid irrevocable consequences stemming from the ocean discharge.

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