Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on February 18, 2025

AFP: According to reports in South Korean media, a Chinese travel agency is planning to reopen tours to North Korea. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this as well as China’s stance on cooperation between the Chinese and North Korean businesses?

Guo Jiakun: China adopts a positive attitude toward exchanges and cooperation in various areas between China and the DPRK. We have no comment on the information released by a specific travel agency.

Anadolu Agency: The U.S. and Russia will begin their negotiations in Riyadh today on the Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they will neither take part nor accept the outcomes of these meetings. Also, European leaders, in an emergency meeting in Paris, expressed their concerns about the exclusion of the Ukrainian side from these talks. What is China’s position on this particular situation?

Guo Jiakun: On the Ukraine crisis, China believes that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the crisis and has been committed to promoting talks for peace. We are glad to see all efforts committed to peace, including what has been agreed on peace talks by the U.S. and Russia. In the meanwhile, we hope all parties concerned and stakeholders will take part in the peace talk process at an appropriate time.

CNR: Foreign Minister Wang Yi just visited Ireland. Could you please share with us more details, including the outcomes of the visit?

Guo Jiakun: Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Ireland from Febraury 16 to 17 as the new government of Ireland was just formed. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and had talks with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris. Readouts were released.

This visit is a full success which has deepened the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Ireland. China appreciates Ireland’s commitment to a positive, practical and friendly China policy. We stand ready to work with the Irish side to implement the common understandings between the two leaders and become partners that trust and respect each other, and help each other succeed. The Irish side said it attaches great importance to and values its ties with China, follows the one-China policy, and stays committed to strengthening its positive and constructive partnership with China. The two countries spoke positively of cooperation outcomes in economy and trade, education and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, among other fields, and expressed readiness to expand high-quality cooperation. Ireland is optimistic about the important opportunities brought to the world by China’s modernization and efforts of accelerating the green transition. The two sides exchanged views on China-EU relations and the international landscape and were of the view that we should step up China-EU cooperation, uphold multilateralism, support free trade, keep industrial and supply chains stable and jointly respond to global challenges.

Dragon TV: According to the recent comments by several foreign media outlets, China-U.S. competition in Latin America is heating up. An article recently written by a member of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation calls on the U.S. government to take measures to slow the expansion of Chinese economic influence in the region and construct American-led alternatives to Chinese investment consistent with American values. What’s your comment?

Guo Jiakun: In economic, trade and investment cooperation with Latin America, China never seeks so-called geopolitical competition or resorts to the tricks of carving out spheres of influence. Win-win cooperation is the hallmark of China’s relations with Latin America. Both from the Global South, China and Latin America have many similar positions and a lot to offer each other. We are natural partners for cooperation. Cooperation between China and Latin America features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, respects Latin America’s aspiration, meets its needs, gives a boost to its development and is well received by Latin American people.

Let me stress that it’s a disrespect to Latin American countries in itself to have eyes on them for greater influence, and point fingers at their normal cooperation with third parties. As independent sovereign countries, countries from Latin America have every right to independently choose their development paths and cooperation partners. All parties need to fully respect Latin American countries, treat them as equals, and get concrete things done for their development.

Xinhua News Agency: Recently, individual countries suggested lifting the U.N. Security Council sanctions on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. What is China’s view?

Guo Jiakun: Syria must firmly opposes all forms of terrorist and extremist forces. We noted it is widely believed that currently, conditions are not yet ready for removing the relevant Syrian organization and its key members from the sanctions list of the UN Security Council’s 1267 Committee, and China also has serious reservations about this. We urge the new Syrian authorities to take concrete measures to actively respond to the concerns of the international community, including China, regarding terrorism.

RIA Novosti: The Economist reported earlier that American officials are suggesting that non-European countries such as Brazil or China send their servicemen to the so-called peacekeeping force in Ukraine after the conflict ends. What’s the Foreign Ministry’s comment? Does China consider sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine?

Guo Jiakun: We don’t comment on a hypothetical question. China always upholds a just position on the issue of Ukraine crisis, and we’ve made this very clear on multiple occasions.

Anadolu Agency: Another question about Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration demanded 500 billion worth of rare earth minerals from Ukraine in return for American support to its war effort against Russia. Ukrainian side said they rejected the offer because their security and interests weren’t met. It seems that the U.S. is applying pressure on Kyiv, both excluding them from negotiations and cornering them into an economic deal on their mineral wealth. What’s China’s comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: We hope relevant parties will jointly play a constructive role and accumulate conditions for a political settlement and the realization of peace.

Bloomberg: Follow up on your questions about Ukraine. You said that you wouldn’t be willing to speak about hypotheticals such as whether China would participate in peacekeeping, but on a more positive or forward-looking angle, what role does China want to play, or what role can China play in any peace agreement that solves the Ukraine crisis?

Guo Jiakun: On any dispute and conflict in the world, China always advocates dialogue, consultation and political settlement. This is also true when it comes to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. China is not the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. That said, we have not just sat by and watched the crisis unfold or profiteered from the crisis. Right after the Ukraine crisis broke out, China proposed to settle the crisis through dialogue and consultation. We’ve followed the four points about what must be done, which were proposed by President Xi Jinping, as our fundamental guidance, actively carried out diplomatic mediation, and set up the Group of “Friends for Peace” together with Brazil and other Global South countries. The development of the situation also proved that China’s proposition is objective, impartial, rational and pragmatic, and represents the prevailing consensus in the international community.

China will continue to support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, maintain communication with relevant parties and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis.

TVT Brazil: Last week, President Trump announced that on April 2, they would be implementing some tariffs on foreign car importations. There are some experts. They are saying that some probes are being made on China, and these will probably bring more tariffs to China in April. At the same time, Brazil as well has been targeted by some tariffs. My question is: are Brazil and China starting to discuss some ways to solve these tariffs, whether among each other or in the framework of BRICS? And the second question is, if the tariffs get tougher in April, what will be the Chinese government’s response to it?

Guo Jiakun: On your question regarding tariffs, China always believes that protectionism will lead nowhere, and there is no winner in a trade war or a tariff war. It is a universal consensus of the international community. The US should know this: what the international community needs is not imposing tariff, but addressing each other’s concerns through equal consultation on the basis of mutual respect. China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests.

On relations between China and Brazil, I would like to point out that as two major countries in the world and representative members in the Global South, China and Brazil have maintained our strategic resolve and made active contributions to global peace, stability and development together in a volatile and turbulent world. China will work with Brazil to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of our countries, work for more outcomes in our cooperation across the board, practice true multilateralism, ensure the U.N.’s central role, and defend legitimate rights and interests of countries of the Global South. China supports Brazil’s BRICS presidency and will jointly move forward the greater BRICS cooperation.

Bloomberg: Is the government of China concerned that a peace settlement in Ukraine would free up the U.S. and U.S. military resources to further concentrate in the Indo-Pacific region? I know that China has been very critical of the pivot to Asia, which the U.S. has talked about for many years now. Is it a concern of yours that peace in Europe would lead to a stronger pivot to Asia?

Guo Jiakun: We have shared China’s position on the Ukraine crisis more than once. We hope that parties will work together to address the root cause of the crisis, establish a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture and realize lasting peace in Europe. In the meanwhile, we believe that the Asia-Pacific is a stellar example of development, rather than a chessboard of geopolitical confrontation. China’s position on this is consistent and firm.

Anadolu Agency: Ukrainian Foreign Minister and other officials met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the weekend during the Munich Security Conference, and they appealed China to play a critical role in these new circumstances because there seems to be a divide between Europe and Ukraine on one hand, and the U.S. on the other hand. And China, with the Group of “Friends for Peace,” also lead a peace initiative with Global South countries. In these new circumstances, what kind of role might China play when considering this divide for the solution of the Ukrainian crisis？

Guo Jiakun: No matter how the international landscape evolves, China has always been working vigorously to facilitate talks for peace. Facts and the development of the situation have once again proven that the principles and propositions put forward by President Xi Jinping, including the four points about what must be done and the three observations, are objective, impartial, rational, and pragmatic. We will continue to follow these principles and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis and the realization of peace. The “Friends of Peace” group, initiated by China and other members of the Global South, will continue to build consensus for promoting peace talks.

EFE: Today, South Korea said the Chinese App DeepSeek is sharing data from users to ByteDance, which is another Chinese company. Do you have any comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: On your specific question, I’ll leave it to the company concerned or competent authorities. Let me stress that the Chinese government takes data privacy and security very seriously and protects it in accordance with the law.