Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded on Tuesday to questions regarding US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and the WHO, as well as the US President Donald Trump's claims about the Panama Canal.
In response to the White House's announcement to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China expresses concern over the US announcement.
Guo noted that climate change is a common challenge faced by all humanity, and no country can remain unaffected or isolated from its impact. China will work with all parties, upholding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, to actively tackle the challenges of climate change and jointly promote the global green and low-carbon transformation.
Regarding the US withdrawal from the WHO, Guo said that the WHO plays a central and coordinating role in global health governance. The role of the WHO should be strengthened, not weakened. China will continue to support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities, deepen international public health cooperation, enhance global health governance, and promote the construction of a community of shared health for humanity.
China's position on issues related to the Panama Canal is consistent and clear, Guo said in response to a question concerning Trump's claim that China was effectively "operating" the Panama Canal and that the US would take back the canal. "I have no additional information to share," Guo said.
In a speech delivered on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum (WEF), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned China 14 times, claiming a "China shock" to world trade was caused by the so-called "over-capacity," while at the same time expressing a willingness to "engage and deepen" EU's relationship with China.
The WEF kicked off its 2025 session on Monday (local time) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. According to the WEF's website, this year, the five-day annual meeting convenes under the title Collaboration for the Intelligent Age, with global leaders gathering to address key global and regional challenges.
Per a transcript from the WEF's official website, von der Leyen said in her speech that "When China joined the WTO [World Trade Organization] 25 years ago, the impact of rising Chinese exports was called the 'China shock." She went on to say that "Today, some are talking about a second China shock" caused by the so-called "over-capacity," adding "we must respond to this."
However, von der Leyen also said "we must engage constructively with China - to find solutions in our mutual interest."
The European Commission President added that "2025 marks 50 years of our union's diplomatic relations with China. I see it as an opportunity to engage and deepen our relationship with China, and where possible, even to expand our trade and investment ties."
"Von der Leyen's contradictory and divided remarks regarding China reflect the EU's dilemma in its policy toward China," Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
On one hand, the EU is aligned with the unified strategy of the US to contain China. This approach views China as a competitor and an ideological rival, aiming to pressure it into ceding its interests, Zhao said.
However, the EU also takes its own interests into account, as it acknowledges that engaging in fierce competition with China has caused significant harm to the EU itself. Furthermore, this approach has not only offended China but has also generated discontent within EU, the expert noted.
According to European news website Euractiv, von der Leyen did not explicitly refer to the new US president's plan to put up trade barriers in her speech. Instead, she made a case for what's at stake for Americans in their country's trading relationship with Europe.
US President Donald Trump has promised to address a longstanding trade deficit with the EU, saying he will reverse that by imposing tariffs or making the EU buy more US oil and gas, Reuters reported.
The lack of explicit mention of the US' tariff threats may indicate the EU is subtly suggesting that China should be Washington's primary focus, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
The EU should consider adapting to new circumstances in its economic cooperation with China and not attribute normal business competition between China and the EU to other factors, said Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noting that if the EU can reach a consensus with China on this matter, there will be greater space for cooperation given the complementary advantages of both sides.
When asked whether China plans to take any new measures to help resolve the Ukraine crisis, Mao Ning, spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry, said dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Mao made the remarks in response to a question concerning US President Donald Trump's video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he hoped that China will play a major and constructive role in ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Mao said dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. We are happy to see that all parties play a constructive role and build conditions for de-escalation and the political settlement of the crisis.
China will continue to promote peace talks and stands ready to maintain communication with other parties, Mao noted.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Saturday met with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, who is in Beijing for the 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Reeves' visit to China marks the restart of the China-UK EFD, a crucial dialogue mechanism between the two sides, after a nearly six-year hiatus.
During the meeting, Han Zheng, also a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that China and the UK are both major economies and financial heavyweights in the world, pointing out that strengthening economic and financial cooperation in the spirit of strategic partnership is of great significance to promoting economic growth, improving people's lives and encouraging green development in these two countries, according to Xinhua.
It will also inject confidence and impetus into the development of the world economy, Han added.
"China is willing to continue to expand openness and exchanges with the UK, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to bring more benefits to the two countries and the world," said Han.
Reeves said the resumption of this dialogue after nearly six years is of great significance. The British side attaches importance to developing relations with China and is willing to strengthen candid dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation with China to promote the economic development of each country, she added.
Since last year, visits by senior UK officials and the meeting between the leaders of both countries have underscored the UK's willingness to strengthening bilateral ties, Li Guanjie, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Li noted that the visit by the UK Chancellor focused on bolstering collaboration in finance, trade, and other pivotal sectors of the bilateral relationship, adding that by reinstating dialogues, the Labour government hopes to reverse the decline in economic and trade relations with China and enhance the UK's economic standing amid challenging growth prospects. Li also noted that despite positive signals, China-UK economic and trade relations continue to face hurdles, including concerns over investment security, geopolitical strains, and external influences from third-party nations like the US.
The 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue took place in Beijing on Saturday. It is co-chaired by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng and Reeves as the lead persons of the Dialogue.
He stated that China is willing to work with the UK to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, uphold the strategic partnership, strengthen communication and dialogue, and further expand economic and financial cooperation, providing more momentum for the development of a stable and mutually beneficial China-UK relationship. Reeves expressed that the UK is willing to enhance practical cooperation with China in the economic and financial fields and develop a coherent, lasting, and mutually respectful UK-China relationship.
Established in 2008, this high-level dialogue mechanism has served as an important platform for dialogue and cooperation on strategic, overarching and long-term issues in the economic and financial fields.
In a statement to the Global Times, the UK Chamber of Commerce in China said that it warmly welcomed the Chancellor's visit to China and the revival of the Economic and Financial Dialogue.
The chamber highlighted that the resumption of this dialogue marks a significant step forward in rejuvenating economic ties and strengthening bilateral relations and it is hoped that this renewed engagement will foster constructive discussions in critical sectors, paving the way for fresh opportunities in trade, investment, and cooperation.
Earlier Saturday, the chancellor visited the Beijing store of UK bicycle maker Brompton and said that she was in China "to unlock tangible benefits for British businesses exporting and trading around the world to ensure that we have greater access to the second-largest economy in the world", Reuters reported.
Reeves' visit is being accompanied by a delegation of senior executives from the City of London, according to The Guardian. The Guardian described this trip as the UK government's efforts to "closer economic links with Beijing as part of its quest for growth."
In response to inquiry on remarks made by the so-called "Tibetan government-in-exile", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the so-called "Tibetan government-in-exile" is an outright separatist political group, which is not recognized by any country in the world, and that we are highly vigilant to its separatist nature and political schemes.
Regarding the earthquake that hit Dingri county in Xizang region, Guo said the rescue teams overcame difficulties posed by high altitude and low oxygen levels, racing against time to search for trapped individuals, minimizing casualties.
"Overall, the earthquake relief efforts went smoothly. We are confident that we will win the hard battle against the earthquake and disaster relief and restore normal order of production and life in the disaster area as soon as possible," said Guo.
China's Foreign Ministry (FM) on Tuesday lambasted new rules issued by US President Joe Biden's administration that reportedly aim to keep advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips and technology out of China, as the country vowed to take firm measures to safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.
On Monday US time, the Biden administration issued an Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion, which encourages the diffusion of US AI technology by US "key allies and partners." It also constrains "countries of concern" from accessing advanced AI systems and the computing power used to train them, according to a fact sheet published by the White House.
Although the fact sheet did not name specific countries, US media outlets, including The New York Times, said that the new US rules are aimed at barring China from obtaining AI technology from other countries, as the US has previously banned such sales.
Notably, it is the "largest-scale and final" chip export restrictions during Biden's tenure, China Media Group reported on Tuesday.
Firm opposition
The move immediately drew swift and harsh criticism from China. Asked to comment on the US move at a regular press conference on Tuesday, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the FM, stressed that the US has been overstretching the concept of national security, politicizing and weaponizing trade and tech issues, and abusing export controls to maliciously suppress China. "China firmly opposes the US decision and will take firm measures to safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies."
Guo further pointed out that AI is humanity's common asset, and should not become "a game for the rich countries and the wealthy" or be used to generate another development divide. To maintain its supremacy, the US chooses to split the world into tiers, granting access to countries that are "close" and barring access to "the rest."
"The real purpose is to deprive developing countries, including China, of the right to make their own progress in science and development," Guo said, adding that this kind of roadblock strategy hurts the global common interest of promoting AI for good, and has triggered concerns from various quarters about a new tech Cold War from the US.
According to the White House fact sheet, no restrictions apply to chip sales to 18 "key allies and partners," while the rule takes significant steps against "countries of concern."
In stark contrast, China has been actively promoting global cooperation on AI. In July 2024, the 78th UN General Assembly adopted a China-led resolution on enhancing international AI cooperation, with over 140 countries supporting it. This milestone decision not only underscores the global consensus on AI governance but also highlights China's pivotal role in driving international AI collaboration, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
"China will continue to work with all parties to embrace openness, connectivity and equality instead of building walls, decoupling and discrimination, create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for AI development that is beneficial to all, and make sure that all countries can access the benefit of AI," Guo said at the press briefing on Tuesday.
On Monday night, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce also slammed the US administration for ignoring strong opposition from the US tech industry to issue the new rule. "The Biden administration's abuse of export control measures severely obstructs normal trade exchanges between countries, significantly undermines market rules and the international trade order, greatly impacts global technological innovation, and seriously harms the interests of companies worldwide, including those in the US," a spokesperson for the ministry said.
The Biden administration's move drew widespread criticism from the US tech industry. In a statement on Monday, US AI chip giant Nvidia blasted what it calls "the Biden Administration's Misguided 'AI Diffusion' Rule." It added that "while cloaked in the guise of an 'anti-China' measure, these rules would do nothing to enhance US security." The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), which has already expressed firm opposition to the new rules before they were published, said in a statement on Monday that the new export controls threaten to discourage the use of US technology.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that although the US restrictions target countries like China, they will not bode well for the US' own companies. "These restrictions will backfire on US companies such as Nvidia, because the Chinese application market is enormous," Lü told the Global Times on Tuesday.
'Futile attempt'
Some Chinese industry representatives have also slammed the US move. The latest AI restrictions are a "futile attempt" that will not impede China's rapid progress in AI or stop the pace of China's technological development, according to Hu Ming, deputy general manager of CCCC (Zhongwei) Big Data Technology Co.
"Such restrictions do not carry much significance. While they may result in temporary disruptions, they are likely to spur China's pursuit of self-reliance in chip and AI development," Hu told the Global Times on Tuesday. "These restrictions may temporarily slow down China's development in AI, but they will also strengthen China's resolve and commitment to independently develop high-performance computing chips."
While the US has framed these restrictions as part of a global chip control measure, their impact on China is expected to be minimal, given the country's vast application scenarios for training and enhancing AI capabilities - a resource unavailable to the US, Hu noted.
China has been focusing on addressing challenges in computational power, AI, and chip manufacturing. For instance, the Global Times reporters learned from Phytium Technology Co, a leading independent core chip provider based in Tianjin, that the company has achieved breakthroughs in key technologies, including on-chip parallel microprocessor architecture, large-scale integrated circuit design, and inherent security architecture.
To date, Phytium's self-produced graphics processing units (GPUs) have sold over 10 million units, providing core computational support for devices ranging from endpoints to cloud services, representing a major leap from "functional" to "high-performance" domestic CPUs, according to the information the company shared with the Global Times.
While the US has and will likely continue to crack down on Chinese technological industries such as AI, "in the long run, the US' restrictions are not that significant. There will always be competition and even crackdown in competing for the leading position. However, even the harsh crackdown measures will not stop China's technological development," an executive of a chip firm based in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong, who requested to be identified as Zhou, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Zhou said that Chinese firms should view the US' moves objectively and make adjustments. "It is imperative to develop high-performance computing chips that are independently developed and controlled," Zhou said.
Lü also said that while the US restrictions may slow down China's progress in some areas, it will not stop China from catching up. "It is just matter of time before China catches up or even takes the lead. And it is possible there will be a shift in the race lane [in which China will take the lead]," Lü said.
In response to Biden's two-year extension of Deferred Enforced Departure for certain HK residents living in the US, Chinese FM spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong has achieved universally recognized success, noting that any attempts to smear Hong Kong will not succeed nor undermine the international community's confidence in Hong Kong.
Outgoing US president Joe Biden extended a program allowing Hong Kong residents in the country to stay beyond the expiry of their visas by another two years. Biden, who is set to leave office on January 20, said early on Thursday Hong Kong time.
At a regular press conference Thursday, Guo said currently, Hong Kong's security, democracy, and the rights and freedoms of its residents are being more effectively guaranteed, and its development prospects are brighter.
The US should respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, cease discrediting the Chinese central government's governance policies on Hong Kong and successful practice of "one country, two systems," and stop interfering in HK affairs, said Guo.
Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, and Makoto Nishida, secretary-general of the Komeito Party, will lead a delegation of Japan's ruling parties to visit China from January 13 to 15, at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Hu Zhaoming, spokesperson for the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, announced on Tuesday. Both sides will jointly hold the 9th meeting of China-Japan ruling parties exchange mechanism.
The 8th meeting of China-Japan ruling parties exchange mechanism was held in Japan in October 2018. During the three-day meeting, the delegations of the ruling parties of China and Japan had candid and in-depth exchanges centering on topics on political mutual trust and practical cooperation, according to the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for the nation to remain confident in the coming year, saying the world's second largest economy can overcome its challenges and pressure through hard work.
Xi made the remarks in his New Year message for 2025 delivered through China Media Group and the internet.
Set to fully complete its 14th Five-Year Plan in 2025, China will implement more proactive and effective policies, prioritize high-quality development, promote greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and maintain sound momentum in economic and social development, Xi said.
He said the Chinese economy "now faces some new conditions, including challenges of uncertainties in the external environment and pressure of transformation from old growth drivers into new ones."
"But we can prevail with our hard work. As always, we grow in the wind and rain, and we get stronger through hard times. We must be confident," Xi said.
Reviewing China's footprint in 2024, Xi said the economy has rebounded and is on an upward trajectory, with the national GDP expected to pass the mark of 130 trillion yuan (about 18.08 trillion U.S. dollars) and the country's grain output surpassing 700 million tonnes.
He also noted that China has fostered new quality productive forces, and new business sectors, forms and models have kept emerging. For the first time, China has produced more than 10 million new energy vehicles in a year, and breakthroughs have been made in fields including integrated circuit, artificial intelligence and quantum communications.
