Zhao Lijian said China welcomes all efforts that help members of the international community fight COVID-19 together in a science-based manner and opposes political manipulation of anti-epidemic efforts by any country. Since the US insists on inviting Taiwan to the meeting in disregard of China’s stern position and in defiance of the international community’s consensus on the one-China principle, China could not attend the second virtual Global COVID-19 Summit.
Doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. China also actively participated in the WHO’s COVAX plan and Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative. We have donated $100 million to COVAX and joined the Vaccine Manufacturing Working Group of the ACT Accelerator initiative. At the end of last year, President Xi Jinping announced that China will donate another 600 million and 150 million doses of vaccines to Africa and ASEAN countries respectively. The relevant work is well underway. With these efforts, China is making important contributions to promoting the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries. Besides, China sent 37 medical expert teams to 34 countries, and shared anti-epidemic experience with more than 180 countries and international organizations. In the wake of COVID-19, China proposed the vision of a global community of health for all, fully leveraged its strengths, ensured stability of global anti-epidemic supply chains and actively advanced international cooperation in vaccines to contribute to the global fight against the coronavirus. Here are some numbers. By early May, China has provided 4.6 billion protective gears, 18 billion testing kits and over 430 billion facial masks to 153 countries and 15 international organizations. China was the first country that has announced to make vaccines a global public good, supported waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, and conducted joint production of vaccines with developing countries. China has supplied more than 2.2 billion
The coronavirus raging across the globe requires joint response of all countries. China will continue to work with the rest of the international community to take concrete actions to make contributions to bridging the immunization gap, building a line of defense and eliminating the virus at an early date.
The spokeperson said to start, I want to express our deep grief for the tragic loss of one million lives, for whom the Washington National Cathedral rang its bell 1,000 times. The toll of the bell signaled remembrance and mourning, and sounded alert with soul-searching query. Facing the pandemic, does capital or human life matter more? Do politics or lives come first? Who is mouthing the few upticks. Production and other business activities have resumed in an orderly fashion. In the spirit of putting people and life first, the Chinese government gives priority to people’s life, safety and health. It follows the “dynamic zero-COVID” policy, and adopts targeted and science-based protocols for the most effective COVID-19 containment at the lowest cost possible. Any anti-COVID measure comes at a cost to the economy and society. But it is only temporary and worthwhile compared to priceless and irretrievable lives. Only by containing the spread of the virus as soon as possible can sound and sustainable economic development be secured. With joint efforts of the Chinese government and the people, progress has been made in stemming the latest wave of COVID-19. Now the overall pandemic metrics in China are trending downward with a
I also noted that among the one million COVID-19 deaths in the US, about 200,000 lives were lost after contracting the Omicron variant, meaning it’s ill-advised to play down the variant’s danger and premature to let the guard down. The world is still not out of the woods with COVID-19, China will continue to uphold the idea of a community with a shared future and make greater contributions to eliminating the global immunization gap while consolidating its own defense against the virus. We also stand ready to work with other countries to claim an early victory over the pandemic .
He said on your first question, I fully expounded on the Chinese government’s position yesterday. Fighting COVID-19 is a common task facing the entire humanity. China and the DPRK have a fine tradition of offering support to each other. China is ready to work with the DPRK, support each other and strengthen cooperation against the pandemic.
On your second question, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety and health of Chinese citizens in the DPRK. We will continue to closely follow the DPRK’s COVID-19 situation, stay in contact with the DPRK, and protect the life and health of Chinese citizens.
and will continue to do its utmost to implement in earnest our comprehensive strategic partnership, and work with ASEAN to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home together. Since the beginning of this year, bilateral dialogue and cooperation in various sectors has kept growing rapidly and deepening. In the first four months of this year, the bilateral trade increased by 9.4% year-on-year to nearly $290 billion. ASEAN remains China’s largest trading partner. as ASEAN’s good neighbor and good partner, China always takes ASEAN as a high priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, develops friendly and cooperative relations with ASEAN and promotes common development in the spirit of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. Over the past 31 years since the establishment of our dialogue relations, the bilateral relations between China and ASEAN have achieved leap-frog development, delivering tangible benefits to over two billion people in the 11 countries. In November 2021, President Xi Jinping announced at the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations that China is ready to provide ASEAN with another 150 million doses of COVID vaccines, another $1.5 billion of development assistance in the next three years to support ASEAN countries’ fight against COVID-19 and economic recovery. Also, China will buy up to $150 billion worth of agricultural products from ASEAN in the next five years. China always honors its words Zhao Lijian: On the US-ASEAN summit,
I want to stress that China advances ASEAN-led regional cooperation in the spirit of equal-footed consultation following the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. China-ASEAN cooperation is defined by mutually beneficial cooperation, openness and inclusiveness. Our cooperation is rooted in the shared need for deepening good neighborliness and enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation and focused on maintaining regional stability. China and ASEAN do not seek zero-sum games or push for bloc confrontation. China welcomes all cooperation initiatives as long as they can promote long-term and sustainable development and common prosperity in the region.
Asia-Pacific with a healthy mindset and constructive approach. cooperation in You may ask the US side whether the relevant initiatives are aimed at countering China. On my part, I want to say that both China and the US are Asia-Pacific countries. There is no reason why we cannot share regional friends. It is important to heed the call of regional countries to maintain peace, deepen cooperation and seek common development, and uphold the principles of mutual respect and win-win cooperation. It is necessary that we bear in mind the common and long-term interests of the region, play a positive and constructive part in regional peace, stability and development and do more concrete things for regional
UN. the at On your second question, the US owing dues to the UN and other international organizations is nothing new. I noted that some media call the US a “deadbeat” country
time its assessed contributions matters to the normal operation of the UN. The payment is also an important way for the US to serve its international obligations and practice multilateralism. However, since 1980s, the US has always owed the largest amount of dues to the UN. In recent years, it often owes up to one billion dollars, accounting for 60% or 70% of the total unpaid dues. In terms of peacekeeping assessment, the US often owes the largest share of contributions for years. In 2019, it owed as much as $2.378 billion, accounting for 66% of the total unpaid assessment. on and Whether the US, one of the UN’s founding members and the largest contributor, pays in full
The Biden administration promised “a return to multilateralism” and claimed to defend a “rules-based international order”. At the same time, it refuses to pay its huge share of UN budget. How would the US respond to this? Instead of paying its huge arrears of regular budget and assessment, the US has been using financial means to serve its political agenda, pressure the UN and shift responsibilities onto other UN member states. By what rules is the US playing? The US has been missing deadlines of US assessment payment, but has spent huge sums waging wars, transferring weapons and fanning the flame all over the world. Is this how the US defines defending multilateralism? Is this defending “rules-based international order” by the US standard?
The arrears the US accumulates to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping assessment doesn’t go away; it is mounting as days go by. The greater deficit in the US credibility, the longer the US would live with the label of “the biggest debtor nation” in the UN. The US should shoulder responsibilities, pay its assessments in full and on time, make up for the arrears, take the lead in fulfilling its financial obligations to the UN, and act upon its commitment to multilateralism.
