At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé will pay an official visit to China from October 9 to 16.

French President’s Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne will be in China from October 9 to 13. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will hold a new round of China-France Strategic Dialogue with him.

Xinhua News Agency: To follow up on President of the Council of Ministers of Togo Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé’s visit to China, can you share the program of the visit and China’s expectations? How does China view its relations with Togo?

Mao Ning: President of the Council of Ministers Faure is an old friend of China. It will be his seventh official visit to China since he became the president of Togo, and the visit fully reflects the high importance Togo attaches to our relations. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with him, and Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with him respectively. President Faure will also visit Shaanxi, Fujian, and Guangdong.

China and Togo are comprehensive strategic partners. Since our diplomatic relations were established 54 years ago, our traditional friendship has been growing stronger with time. We firmly support each other on issues related to core interests and major concerns, with fruitful exchanges and cooperation across the board, setting a stellar example of equal treatment between big and small countries and solidarity and cooperation in the Global South. We believe that this visit will bring China-Togo relations to a new height and contribute to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. 

NHK: It was reported that in the meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents, President Trump asked the Chinese side to engage in dialogue with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi and lift export controls against Japan. Is this true? Did the two sides talk about Japan in the meeting? If so, what was discussed?

Mao Ning: China has released readouts on the meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents, which you may refer to.

CRI: Russian Presidential Aide and Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolai Patrushev is now in China for his visit. Can you brief us with relevant arrangements of this visit? What is China’s comment on current China-Russia relations?

Mao Ning: China and Russia are comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for the new era. Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, recent years have seen deepened political mutual trust, closer strategic coordination and continuously expanding cooperation that is mutually beneficial between China and Russia. The two sides have set a fine example of a new type of international relations and relations between neighboring major countries.

This is the first visit to China that Patrushev has made in the capacity of the Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and other department chiefs will meet with Chairman Patrushev respectively to exchange views on bilateral relations and cooperation on maritime affairs. China is ready to take this visit as an opportunity to work with Russia to deepen strategic communication, promote practical cooperation, and keep injecting new momentum of development into China-Russia relations in the new era.

CCTV: On October 5, the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council adopted in Geneva by consensus a resolution proposed by China, on behalf of 53 countries, titled “Promoting accessibility for the full enjoyment of all human rights by all.” Could you share more details on that?

Mao Ning: Building a barrier-free environment is consistent with the vision of ensuring support for persons with disabilities and the elderly, and provides important safeguards for enabling all groups to participate equally and conveniently in social life and fully enjoy all human rights. Many countries commended China’s efforts to promote the vision of “accessibility for all,” and believes that it serves the real and pressing needs of developing countries to call for more technical assistance to developing countries and greater international cooperation in relevant fields.

In 2024, the Human Rights Council adopted the resolution with the same title proposed by China. This was the first resolution specifically on accessibility. The adoption of this resolution a few days ago is of great significance for international community to promote and protect the human rights of all groups, actively address population ageing, leverage AI and other emerging technologies to facilitate information exchange on accessibility, and strengthen global governance and standard-setting in relevant areas. China will follow the guidance of the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, and deepen its cooperation with various parties to earnestly implement the vision of “accessibility for all,” improve global governance on human rights, and promote sound progress of the international human rights cause.

Reuters: Sources have told Reuters that China plans to put forward senior public health official Song Li as candidate for the top position at the World Health Organization. One of the sources said the planned nomination was a sign that China wanted to fill a void where the U.S. has stepped back at the WHO. Can the ministry share if China has indeed such nomination plans? And if so, is the U.S.’s withdrawal from UN agencies, such as WHO, a good opportunity for China to step in?

Mao Ning: As the UN specialized agency for health, the WHO plays a leading and coordinating role in global public health governance. At present, multilateralism is facing severe challenges, and the development of global public health remains a long-term and arduous task. Amid the changing landscape and new circumstances, the Director-General has a crucial role to play in ensuring the WHO’s steady and sustained progress. 

China’s decision to nominate Doctor Song Li as candidate for the WHO Director-General reflects China’s aspiration to work with all parties for a global community of health for all, and demonstrates China’s firm support for multilateralism and the WHO. We believe that if Doctor Song Li is elected, it will help the WHO play a more positive role in promoting the health and wellbeing of all humanity.

CGTN: Regarding the French President’s Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne’s visit to China, can you provide the program and China’s expectation?

Mao Ning: During the French President’s Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne’s visit to China, he and Director Wang Yi will hold a new round of China-France Strategic Dialogue to have strategic communication on deepening China-France cooperation in different areas and in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Last December, President Emmanuel Macron made his fourth state visit to China, during which the two heads-of-state had long, in-depth talks and reached important common understandings regarding strengthening China-France strategic communication, staying committed to openness and cooperation, jointly upholding multilateralism and so on. Through this dialogue, China expects to strengthen coordination and collaboration with France on bilateral and multilateral issues and promote the steady development of China-France and China-Europe relations.

Global Times: It is reported that on October 1, the Tokyo District Court conducted the first public trial of Kodai Murata, a former officer of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces who illegally entered the Chinese embassy in Japan. Murata confessed to illegally entering the embassy with a knife without reservation but denied the charge of criminal intimidation. What is China’s comment?

Mao Ning: It is shockingly malignant for a sitting Japanese SDF officer to break into the Chinese embassy carrying a knife and threaten Chinese diplomatic personnel with violence. This incident seriously violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, gravely threatens the safety and security of Chinese diplomatic personnel and premises, and exposes deep-seated problems in Japan, including the rampant spread of right-wing impact and lack of supervision and discipline in the SDF. Whether Japan can deal with the matter seriously in accordance with the law will test the Japanese government’s ability to fulfill its obligations under the international law and affect Japan’s credibility and reputation in the world. We once again urge Japan to bring the perpetrator to account and prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Bloomberg: There are reports that Germany’s president is going to be visiting China. Could you confirm that and let us know the schedule and the list of Chinese leaders he will meet?

Mao Ning: Regarding your question, I have no information to share at the moment.

AFP: The European commissioner for trade begins two days of talks in Beijing today to avoid a trade escalation. What are China’s expectations in this regard and what message would you send to the European commissioner?

Mao Ning: I would refer you to China’s competent authorities for anything specific. China always believes that it serves the shared interests of China and the EU to stay committed to openness and cooperation, and resolve economic and trade disputes through equal-footed dialogue and consultation.

Reuters: Crowdstrike said in a report on Wednesday that an unidentified actor behind alleged cyber attacks on South Korean financial institutions used China-developed AI penetration testing tool, Chinese language prompt, as well as have left material suggesting possible links to China, including references to Guangdong and a Chinese university. Does China have any comment on this case or comment on any of the growing risks of Chinese AI technology being used to power cyber hacks in the region?

Mao Ning: I’m not familiar with that. China opposes hacking activities and fights these activities in accordance with the law. That said, we reject spreading disinformation out of political agenda. Artificial intelligence profoundly affects cybersecurity. The international community needs to step up cooperation and dialogue and set up new international rules to jointly safeguard cybersecurity.

Bloomberg: Following the agreement to create a China-U.S. AI dialogue, when will the first meeting take place? Which executives from both countries will be there?

Mao Ning: I’d refer you to competent authorities.

AFP: The U.S. State Department has accused Zhao Fugang, the director of the overseas Chinese service center in Fiji, of paying bribes to local officials to advance China’s interests. Zhao is now banned from entering the U.S. for “significant corruption.” What is the foreign ministry’s response to that?

Mao Ning: I’m not familiar with that. We oppose vilification and smears against China.

AFP: Japan said today it has asked China to show appropriate respect to its prime minister Sanae Takaichi. Japan said this because the Chinese foreign ministry, during its regular press conferences, often refers to the Japanese prime minister by her name alone without any title. What’s your response to Japan?

Mao Ning: China has on many occasions made clear its position on the current China-Japan relations.

Bloomberg: China describes its trade relationship with Europe as mutually beneficial, but European governments are seeking stronger protections. What does Beijing believe it needs to do differently to reassure them?

Mao Ning: I’d refer you to China’s competent authorities for the specific question. Let me say more broadly that we hope Europe will work with China in the same direction, resolve respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, and promote the sound and steady development of China-Europe economic and trade relations. We believe this serves the common interests of both sides.