On the afternoon of September 20, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei held a regular press conference.
Q: President Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority was quoted as saying that Palestine would submit to the UN its member state application. What is China's comment?
A: China always supports the Palestinian and Arab people's just cause of restoring lawful national rights and regards the founding of an independent state as an inalienable lawful right of the Palestinian people as well as the precondition and foundation for the peaceful co-existence between Palestine and Israel, which is conducive to the lasting peace and stability of the Middle East. China understands, respects and supports Palestine submitting the statehood plan to the UN. The international community should step up its efforts to encourage peace talks so as to bring Palestine and Israel back to the negotiating table at an early date.
Q: The Yemeni security forces clashed with demonstrators in the capital Sana'a recently, leaving several people dead and injured. What is China's comment on the current situation in Yemen?
A: China follows closely the developments of the situation in Yemen and calls on all parties there to stay calm and exercise restraint so as to resolve disputes through dialogue and other peaceful means and avert violence and bloodshed. As a friend of Yemen, we hope that it will restore social stability and normal order as soon as possible and maintain national stability.
Q: It is reported that France hopes the UN will adopt further actions in light of the situation in Syria. How does China look at the situation there?
A: China is deeply concerned about the prolonged unrest in Syria. Bearing in mind the peace and stability of Syria and the Middle East, China calls on all parties in Syria to discard violence as soon as possible, swiftly launch a Syria-led inclusive political process and dissolve crisis appropriately. Relevant actions of the international community should facilitate the realization of the above goals.
Q: Brazilian Finance Minister said that the BRICS Finance Ministers' Meeting would be held in Washington to discuss capital injection from the BRICS countries to the eurozone to alleviate the European debt crisis. Please brief us on that.
A: According to the competent Chinese authorities, the meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the BRICS countries will be held in Washington on September 22 on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings as to the proposal of India, the BRICS rotating president. The meeting will focus on and discuss the current global economic and financial landscapes, risks and countermeasures and release a joint communiqué. Finance Minister Xie Xuren and the executive of the People's Bank of China will attend the meeting.
China hopes that this meeting, which will be held against the backdrop of complex international economic and financial landscapes, will further enhance communication and coordination among the BRICS countries and promote solidarity of the international community so as to put forth a united effort to accelerate economic recovery, stabilize financial markets and realize strong, sustained and balanced growth of the global economy.
Q: The Standard & Poor's has recently downgraded Italy's sovereign credit rating. What is China's comment? Will China adopt any measures to support Italy?
A: It is the top priority for the international community to ensure international economic and financial stability and push for strong, sustained and balanced growth of the global economy. The resolution of the European debt crisis calls on all relevant EU countries to agree on relevant measures, work in concert and deliver results quickly.
The stability of the European economy is vital to the Chinese and world economy. As the comprehensive strategic partner and a major trading partner of the EU, China follows closely the economic situation in Europe and has provided sincere support and assistance to the EU countries. China has confidence in the European economy and the eurozone, supports a series of countermeasures adopted by the eurozone, the EU countries and the IMF, and will continue to regard Europe as one of its major investment markets. We believe that Europe has the capacity and wisdom to overcome current difficulties and emerge from the crisis. We also hope that the European side will ensure the safety of China's investment there.
Q: It is reported that the US Government may soon announce its plan of arms sales to Taiwan. What kind of action will China take in response?
A: My colleagues and I have repeatedly manifested China's position on this issue. China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan. Our position in this regard is clear and consistent. I want to emphasize that no one can shake the resolve of the Chinese Government and people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and combat foreign interference.
Q: The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. of Japan was reportedly attacked by hackers recently. Some assumed that these attacks were originated from China. What is China's response?
A: The cyber security issue has become increasingly acute, drawing world-wide attention. The Chinese Government opposes hacker attacks, and relevant Chinese laws prohibit hacking. Relevant acts are subject to criminal prosecution in accordance with the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. I want to point out that China is also a major victim of overseas hacker attacks. The statistics of the China National Computer Emergency Response Team show that over 4.56 million host computer systems in China were implanted with Trojan horses and zombie viruses in the first half of 2011, and they were hacked and controlled by nearly 30,000 servers outside China. It is therefore groundless to accuse China as the source of hacker attacks, nor is it conducive to international cooperation on cyber security. I want to stress that the Chinese Government is willing to conduct active cooperation with other countries to crack down on cyber crimes, including hacker attacks.
Q: It is reported that China attempts to exert influence on the candidates for the upcoming presidential election in Zambia. How does China respond?
A: Relevant reports of China influencing the election in Zambia are groundless. China upholds the principle of non-interference in other country's internal affairs. The election will be held on September 20 in Zambia. As a friend of Zambia, China sincerely hopes that the election will proceed in a stable and smooth manner. At present, China and Zambia enjoy ever-deepening traditional friendship as well as increasing bilateral cooperation across the board, which give a boost to the economic and social development of Zambia. China would like to work together with Zambia to advance bilateral friendly relations and cooperation.