CGTN: Recently, the U.S. has repeatedly claimed that China violated the common understandings reached at the China-U.S. economic and trade meeting in Geneva and took a series of negative moves. What’s China’s response?

Lin Jian: The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce has made clear China’s position on that. The Geneva consensus was reached in line with the principle of mutual respect and equal-footed consultation. China has been responsibly and faithfully implementing the consensus. Without any factual ground, the U.S. falsely accuses China of violating the Geneva consensus, and has issued harmful extreme measures against China such as new chip export controls, blocking EDA sales, and pledging to revoke Chinese students’ visas. Those actions have seriously disrupted the Geneva consensus and hurt China’s legitimate rights and interests. China firmly opposes them and has strongly protested to the U.S.

Let us stress once again that pressuring and coercion are not the right way to engage China. We call on the U.S. to respect the facts, stop spreading disinformation, reverse the wrongdoings, and act to uphold the consensus.

AFP: The White House has said that President Donald Trump will likely hold a call with President Xi Jinping this week. Can the Chinese side confirm whether that will happen?

Lin Jian: I have no information to share on that.

Kyodo News: It was reported that the public security department of China’s Liaoning Province notified the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang that two Japanese nationals had been killed in Dalian and a suspect of Chinese nationality had been arrested. Can you share more details?

Lin Jian: On May 23, public security authorities in Dalian received a report on a criminal case involving two deaths. Preliminary investigation shows that the victims were Japanese nationals who were business partners of the suspect, and that the case was caused by a dispute in their business cooperation. The case is undergoing further investigation. Chinese authorities will handle the case in accordance with the law.

CCTV: China recently announced visa facilitation policy for Southeast Asian countries at the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit. Could you share more information with us?

Lin Jian: In recent years, China and ASEAN have advanced the building of a community with a shared future and made important progress in building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home. Visits between the people of China and Southeast Asian countries have been frequent. There is a mutual hope to further ease travel between the two sides. 

To further facilitate cross-border travels in the region, on top of the visa-free arrangement between China and countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and China’s “Lancang-Mekong visas” program for Mekong countries, China has rolled out an “ASEAN visa” for ASEAN’s 10 member states and observer Timor-Leste. This new program offers five-year multiple-entry visas to eligible applicants visiting China for business purpose and their spouses and children, granting a maximum stay of 180 days. For anyone with more specific questions on visas to China, they are welcome to contact our diplomatic and consular missions in their countries. 

EFE: What is China’s reaction to the ousting of Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai amid corruption allegations and public protests?

Lin Jian: This is Mongolia’s internal affair and I have no comment on that.

China Review News: The spokesperson just introduced the “ASEAN visa” policy that China has offered for Southeast Asian countries. We also noticed that, beginning from June 1, China has provided visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay on a trial basis. China also announced that it “has given visa-free status to all GCC countries.” This is warmly received in relevant countries. What are the effects for China’s frequent launch of visa-free policies in recent years? And will China provide more of such policies in the future?

Lin Jian: As you rightly said, starting on June 1, China’s unilateral visa-free program is for the first time extended to Latin American and Caribbean countries, raising the number of countries given unilateral visa-free entry to China to 43. The growing “visa-free list” shows China’s firm resolve in expanding high-level opening up. The various measures China has taken to ease cross-border travel are all part of China’s concrete action to create an open global economy. Adding to the proof, in the first quarter of this year, China received over 9 million visits by foreigners, up by over 40 percent year-on-year. And in the first four months, more than 18 thousand foreign-invested companies were established in China, up by 12.1 percent year-on-year. 

China will continue to improve entry policies and add more countries to the visa-free list. We welcome more foreign friends to visit China for excellent purchase experience, diverse consumption scenarios and more convenient services. China is committed to greater openness and deeper cooperation for shared prosperity with the rest of the world.

AFP: According to the TASS news agency, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko is in China for a three-day visit. Is the Chinese side able to confirm that and give any details of his visit?

Lin Jian: China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners. The two sides maintain close exchanges at various levels. As for your specific question, China will release relevant information in due course.

CCTV: It’s reported that on May 31, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, meetings were held between the defense ministers of the U.S., Japan and Australia and between them and the Philippines. They issued joint statements, expressing “continued serious concern” about China’s “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion” in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and vowing to continue to enhance maritime defense cooperation targeting China. What’s China’s comment?

Lin Jian: The U.S., together with Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, brazenly spread the false accusation of “China threat” at the Shangri-La Dialogue and sought to use the East China Sea issue and the South China Sea issue to sow discord and incite confrontation between regional countries. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it, and has made serious protests.

Bloc politics and confrontation are products of the Cold War mentality. They are incompatible with the trend of the times, and not welcomed by regional countries. Bloc politics and confrontation will not solve any problem, still less intimidate China. We will not flinch in defending China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We call on the U.S. and its allies to stop the smears and vilification, stop distorting facts and shifting blames on maritime issues, stop patching together exclusive mini-groups, and stop disrupting the effort of relevant parties to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultation and defend regional peace and stability.

AFP: The European Union has voted to use something called the International Procurement Instrument, a piece of legislation, to exclude Chinese companies from selling medical devices in the EU. This is apparently in response to China discriminating against EU medical devices in its own public procurement in China. What is the Foreign Ministry’s response to this move by the EU?

Lin Jian: I’d refer you to competent authorities for specifics. What I would like to point out is that China is committed to high-level opening-up, the principles of market economy and WTO rules, and solving trade disputes through dialogue and consultation. The EU claims to be one of the most open markets in the world, but in reality has been inching towards protectionism, frequently resorting to unilateral trade tools, and competing unfairly in the name of fair competition. This is typical double standard.

We hope the EU will observe its commitment to an open market and WTO rules, provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment, and work for sound and steady China-EU trade ties. China will firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Reuters: Executives and representatives of the car industry in Europe, the U.S. and India say that China’s rare earth export controls are creating the risk of shortages that could lead to the stoppages in production soon. Does China plan to ease its curbs or speed up the processing of applications?

Lin Jian: I’d refer you to competent authorities for anything specific.

NHK: To follow up on the case concerning Japanese nationals. Can you clarify the nationality of the suspect?

Lin Jian: I just noticed the press release issued by Dalian’s public security authorities, which says that the suspect is a Chinese national and the case is undergoing further investigation.