At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang, Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, will pay an official visit to China from November 1.

Dragon TV: You have just announced Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to China. Can you share more information about the visit? How does China view its relations with Pakistan? What do you expect from this visit?

Wang Wenbin: This visit will be Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s first trip to China after taking office and continuing the good momentum of close high-level exchanges between our two countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is one of the first foreign leaders to visit China by invitation after the successful conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, which demonstrates the special friendship and strategic mutual trust between China and Pakistan . During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Premier Li Keqiang will hold talks with him, and President Li Zhanshu will meet with him. The leaders will hold in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern, and jointly chart the course and guide the growth of China-Pakistan relations.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and staunch friends. In the more than 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, no matter how the international landscape has changed, we have always made each other understanding, trusting and supportive. In recent years, in the face of changes in our world, times and history, China and Pakistan have stepped forward side by side. We have jointly responded to the challenges of COVID-19 and major natural disasters, pursued high-quality CPEC cooperation, deepened exchanges and cooperation at all levels, and worked in close coordination in international and regional affairs. China looks forward to working with Pakistan to seize this visit as an opportunity to further advance our high-level and all-weather strategic cooperation, build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a bright future, and contribute more to the maintenance of regional peace and stability. and international equity and justice.

Reuters: The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test, it would warrant an unprecedented response. My first question is, does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have a comment on this warning to North Korea? Second, does the Foreign Office share the concerns of the United States and its allies that North Korea may be on the verge of resuming nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017?

Wang Wenbin: We hope relevant parties will face up to the root cause and timeline of events of the protracted stalemate on the Korean Peninsula and do more to build mutual trust and address parties’ concerns in a balanced manner.

AFP: According to the White House website, US President Biden met with new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday, and the two sides agreed to jointly address the challenges posed by China. Do you have a comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China is a development partner and an opportunity for other countries, not a threat or a challenge. We urge the United States to abandon the zero-sum mentality and embrace the trend of our times. Instead of propagating the outdated “China threat” theory and reassembling doomed small blocs, the United States might as well try to adopt a new vision characterized by openness, inclusion and win-win cooperation and do more to contribute to a more peaceful world. and prosperous world.

CCTV: It is reported that a Taiwanese university research vessel New Ocean Researcher 1 was interfered with and demanded to leave by a Japanese Coast Guard patrol boat while operating in waters east of Taiwan. The patrol vessel claimed that the research vessel should not conduct research activities in what it called Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without Japan’s consent. Do you have a comment?

Wang Wenbin: The incident you mentioned happened in waters more than 60 nautical miles off the island of Taiwan. It is the right of Chinese research institutions, including those in Taiwan, to conduct scientific research activities in these waters free from foreign interference. China and Japan have yet to conduct maritime delimitation in the waters east of Taiwan. China does not accept the notion of so-called “Japanese EEZ” and the so-called exercise of jurisdiction. The Chinese side has made representations to the Japanese side and asked Japan not to interfere with the search activities of Chinese vessels, including Taiwan-area vessels, in these waters.

AFP: The first question concerns a potential agreement between the Chinese COSCO and the container terminal in Hamburg. A source told AFP that the German government may consider allowing COSCO to buy a 24.9% stake in the terminal. Do you have a comment on this possibility? And the second question concerns Dutch media reports that China runs two illegal police stations in the Netherlands. Can you confirm if China has police operations there? Do you have a response to these reports?

Wang Wenbin: Regarding your first question, cooperation benefits both sides. We hope relevant parties will see the practical cooperation between China and Germany in a rational light and stop the groundless hype.

Regarding your second question, the allegation is simply false. China’s public security authorities are fully committed to cracking down on transnational crimes in accordance with law, in strict accordance with international law, and with full respect for other countries’ judicial sovereignty.

As for what you call “overseas police stations”, they are actually overseas Chinese service centers. It is learned that due to COVID-19, a large number of overseas Chinese nationals are unable to return to China in time for services such as driving license renewals. To address these particular challenges, relevant sub-national authorities have opened an online licensing platform. The purpose of the service centers is to help needy overseas Chinese nationals access the platform to renew their driver’s license and undergo a physical examination. I refer you to the competent authorities if you need more details.

CCTV: We have noted that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China included in the Party Constitution the declaration on upholding the values ​​dear to mankind of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy. and freedom. Why does China emphasize the common values ​​of mankind? Why are they relevant in our time? And what is their importance for human development and progress?

Wang Wenbin: The 20th National Congress of the CPC, which successfully concluded a few days ago, deliberated and unanimously adopted the Revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China, which included in the Party Constitution the Declaration on the promotion of the shared values ​​of humanity which are peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom. This is a strong message from the CPC with Comrade Xi Jinping at its heart to respond to the questions and changes of our times in light of China’s national rejuvenation effort and the far-reaching global changes. never seen for a century. It reflects the Chinese Communists’ deep sense of commitment and responsibility to the common good of the world and mankind.

Peace is the common aspiration of the peoples of the world and the long cherished dream of humanity. Like the air and the sun, peace is barely perceived when we enjoy it. But none of us can live without it. Development is an eternal theme of humanity and provides what is essential to promote the well-being of people around the world. Fairness and justice are cornerstones of the international order and essential to the moral foundation of international relations. Democracy and freedom are political ideals and a relentless pursuit of humanity. It is the common rights of mankind, not a patent held by a few countries or individuals. It is about achieving common and balanced development for all, not the privilege of a few. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, peace and development are our common cause, fairness and justice our common aspiration, and democracy and freedom our common pursuit. This is the essence of the values ​​shared by humanity in our time.

China is a staunch defender and active practitioner of common human values. Over the past decade, since China entered the new era, we have launched the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, practiced genuine multilateralism, and worked to build an open world economy, make more democratic international relations and stimulate exchanges and mutual learning between civilisations. The list is lengthened increasingly. What China has proposed and done is inspired by its cultural heritage which informs us that a just cause always finds great support and that all peoples under heaven are of one family. They are also inspired by the CPC’s commitment to contribute more to human progress. They bear witness to the bright prospects of the common values ​​of humanity.

The shared values ​​of humanity embody the common aspiration for a better life shared by all civilizations. They transcend the hypocrisy of Western centrism and civilizational superiority. They transcend the arbitrariness of Cold War mentality, intimidation and hegemony. They transcend the export of values ​​and the feeding of ideological confrontation. They provide the true criterion for distinguishing right from wrong and right from wrong.

We firmly believe that as long as we stand on the right side of history and human progress, the countries of the world will seek common ground while preserving differences, live in harmony, pursue win-win cooperation and promote mutual understanding and affinity. The world will work together to build a human community with a shared future and together make the world a better place.