Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on December 3, 2019

Q: In an article carried by Politico, US Secretary of State Pompeo wrote that "it's critical that European countries not give control of their critical infrastructure to Chinese tech giants like Huawei, or ZTE", that Huawei "maintains links to the Chinese People's Liberation Army", is "implicated in espionage" in some countries and has "allegedly stolen intellectual property" from countries including Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom. Pompeo also claims that China's National Intelligence Law makes clear that the Communist Party of China can force any 5G supplier headquartered in China to turn over data in secret. Do you have a response?

A: In New Year's Sacrifice, a short story written by a famous Chinese writer Lu Xun, there is a figure known as Wife of Xianglin who keeps telling the same story time and again. Mr. Pompeo is behaving just like her. But unlike her harmless monologue, Mr. Pompeo keeps repeating poisonous lies.

He wrote that Huawei has "allegedly stolen intellectual property" from countries including Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom. We have been asking about this and the US has been shunning the question because it doesn't have the answer. So far, not a single country, company or individual can present conclusive evidence to prove that Huawei poses a security threat. On the contrary, Der Tagesspiegel stated in May that after years of review, the UK government, Germany's Federal Office for Information Security and the European Commission all failed to find any backdoor in Huawei.

Now if we look at the US, an open fact is that the Patriot Act passed after the September 11 terror attack requires cyber companies to provide user information regularly. Security loopholes, however, have been detected in US company Cisco's equipment, with many backdoor cases revealed. Back in 2014, Apple admitted in a statement that it could access users' personal data such as text messages, contacts and photos via iPhone backdoor. In 2018, Facebook's backdoor was exposed. According to PRISM revelations, US citizens have no privacy at all, from their telephone calls, correspondence, files to voice data, in front of US intelligence agencies. The long-term surveillance program also covered telephone calls of leaders of 35 foreign countries, including closest allies of the US. The German Economy Minister also talked about this a few days ago. And those who helped carrying out the program are, as revealed by reports available to the public, US businesses such as Cisco and Apple.

Pompeo claims that China's National Intelligence Law makes clear that the CPC can force any 5G supplier headquartered in China to turn over data in secret. I wonder if he is able to locate this provision? You may look it up online. This law stipulates that "an organization or citizen shall support, assist in and cooperate in national intelligence work in accordance with the law and keep confidential the national intelligence work that it or he knows". But it also provides that "national intelligence work shall be conducted in accordance with the law, respect and safeguard human rights, and protect the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organizations". China has never asked and will never ask any company or individual to break local laws and install backdoors to gather data, information or intelligence stored in foreign countries for the Chinese government or to provide it with such information. We have repeatedly stated this point. However, certain people just pretend to be asleep and won't listen. There is nothing we can do.

Perhaps you still remember that Mr. Pompeo said in an open speech in April "we lied, we cheated, we stole" and it's the "glory of the American experiment". What can we, as people with decent values, say to someone who is proud rather than ashamed of lying, cheating and stealing? Dialogue is impossible.

My response is just one word, evidence.

Q: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Louisville University, Kentucky, that the Sino-British Joint Statement is a ratified treaty that sits at the United Nations. We hope to make sure that those weren't "empty promises". The US asks the Chinese side to find a resolution that honors the "one country, two systems" policy. I wonder if you have a comment?

A: I wonder if he has read the Sino-British Joint Declaration? Does he know all the provisions? Is he aware of the core content, namely, for China to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and for the UK to restore Hong Kong to China. The statement and detailed elaboration of China's basic policies regarding Hong Kong is China's policy statement, which is an internal affair, not part of a bilateral agreement. The legal basis for the "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong is China's Constitution and the Basic Law, not the Joint Declaration. Then again, what on earth does the declaration have to do with the US?

Was there any democracy during British colonial rule in Hong Kong? Perhaps we can ask the last British governor in Hong Kong Christopher Francis Patten. Did people in Hong Kong have the right to take to the streets? No. Was any member of the then legislative council nominated by the people of Hong Kong? No. The people were denied equal civil rights and political participation. It is only after the return that Hong Kong residents started enjoying unprecedented democratic rights and freedoms as the Chinese government implements the "one country, two systems" policy and ensures that the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy according to the Constitution and the Basic Law.

The US propels the so-called "democratic movement" all over the world through the NED. I'm curious, as the US spreads the so-called democracy, freedom and human rights in other places, why is it turning a blind eye to issues on democracy, freedom and human rights at home? Is Mr. Pompeo truly unaware of such problems? Here are some numbers I saw. Till August this year, there have been 34,916 shootings in the US that killed 9,214 people. And there is the border wall with Mexico, forced separation between refugees and their families, tens of thousands of children held in dirty narrow rooms, and sometimes one death after another. The US is also the only developed country without law on paid maternity leave and the only advanced economy that doesn't guarantee workers' leave.

Some US officials and lawmakers are spending taxpayers' hard-earned money on advancing the so-called "freedom" of a handful of anti-China extremists disrupting Hong Kong while neglecting serious issues with democracy, freedom and human rights at home. Don't the American people need democracy, freedom and human rights? US politicians should mind their own affairs more.

Q: The 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) was opened in Madrid, Spain, and over 29,000 participants from 196 countries attended the meeting, which is designed to finish the negotiations on the guidelines on the implementation of the Paris Agreement. How will China play its part in addressing climate change?

A: China has made enormous efforts in and important contributions to addressing climate change, a common challenge facing all human beings. To address it, we must stick to multilateralism and international cooperation. The COP 25 in Madrid is an important meeting. The international community needs to follow the principles of fairness, common yet differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, work for full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, and pursue green, low-carbon and sustainable development. China would like to work with all parties for the success of the COP 25 in Madrid.

China embraces a new development philosophy featuring high-quality development that is innovative, coordinated, green and open for the benefit of all. We actively take measures on addressing climate change. We are committed to implementing the Paris Agreement, fulfilling our promises to the world and sticking to green and sustainable development for a better environment. We have done a lot of hard work to this end. On November 27 this year, we issued an annual report on China's policies and actions for addressing climate change. In 2018, China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP dropped by 45.8% compared to that in 2005, which equals the amount of 5.26 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Our consumption of non-fossil fuel in total energy consumption was 14.3%. China's investment in renewable energy is larger than any other country with 30% of world's total installed renewable energy capacity. In the same category, our increase is 44% of that in the world. We have more than half of the world's electric cars. All those are our contributions to climate change.

As a developing country, China still has domestic problems such as unbalanced development and uneven income distribution. There is still a development gap between China and developed countries. While facing with difficult tasks such as improving people's lives, China is actively fulfilling international responsibilities that are consistent with our development stage and domestic conditions. We are fulfilling our set goals, acting on policies to deal with climate change and contributing to global ecological environment.

Q: US House Speaker Pelosi said at the COP25 in Madrid, Spain that the US delegation is there to show the Congress is committed to climate actions. Would you like to comment?

A: As you all know, the Paris Agreement is an embodiment of global commitments to address climate change. As the US has pulled out of it, I'm not sure what Ms. Pelosi was referring to by saying the US is committed to climate actions. We would of course welcome such commitment if it were true. Why doesn't the US honor the commitment and come back to the Paris Agreement?

Q: Yesterday, China announced sanctions on several US NGOs including the National Endowment for Democracy for supporting anti-China plotters who messed up Hong Kong through various means. Can the Foreign Ministry clarify what "various means" refer to?

A: A large amount of facts and evidence have shown that the sanctioned NGOs including the NED have supported anti-China plotters who messed up Hong Kong through various means, for example, offering financial, logistic, organizational and training support, inciting extreme violent criminal acts and inflaming separatist activities. They are much to blame for the chaos in Hong Kong. The sanctions are rightly imposed as these organizations shall pay the price for what they've done.

Your question about the "various means" is a very good one. But in the interest of time, I cannot go into details for now, as that will probably take more than half an hour. I would very much like to have a conversation about this with you (Kyodo News) sometime soon, if you'd like that.

Q: The British police shot dead the culprit at point-blank range in the latest London terrorist attack. But we noticed previously the UK criticized the normal law enforcement by Hong Kong police against rioters, which reveals their double standards. According to a Guardian report, the British government organized the Desistance and Disengagement Program (DDP), which conducted mandatory surveillance on convicted terrorists. But this scheme failed to prevent terrorist attacks, as the perpetrator of the November 29 terrorist attack was on the program for as long as eight years. What's your comment?

A: We noted that many Chinese media outlets covered this and caused quite a stir. Like I said yesterday, terrorism is a common challenge to all countries and there's no place for double standards on this issue. But unfortunately, we still see certain countries following double-standards in reality. We hope they can draw lessons.

Like what was revealed by the Guardian, the UK set up the DDP for convicted terrorists. As I understand, over 20 more countries have taken similar compulsory programs for terrorist criminals. For example, France established de-radicalization centers in major communities nationwide and the US also has in place "community correction" measures . I believe that the aim and reason for initiating these preventive counterterrorism and de-radicalization measures are just the same as vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang. The latter is just more comprehensive, thus more effective.

Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts, enhance the rule of law awareness through education, improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them, so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible and live a normal and happy life. We all know that for more than 20 years before the end of 2016, Xinjiang suffered severely from violent terrorist attacks. In the "July 5" incident in Xinjiang that shocked the world in 2009, 197 people were killed and more than 1,700 injured. But now, there hasn't been a single violent terrorist incident in Xinjiang for three years. This shows that the de-radicalization and preventive counter-terrorism measures adopted there have achieved tangible results, and also greatly improved the sense of security and happiness of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The vocational education and training in Xinjiang is exactly a concrete step and manifestation of China's implementation of the international community's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization initiatives, including the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.

Since the end of last year, more than 1,000 people from more than 90 countries and regions, including the UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, have visited Xinjiang, and they have all witnessed the remarkable positive results of Xinjiang's preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures. At the Third Committee session on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination not long ago, the US tried to collude with its allies to slander China, but not a single Muslim nation did what the US expected. Over 60 countries, including many Muslim ones, applauded China's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in Xinjiang. Because those who visited Xinjiang saw with their own eyes people in Xinjiang enjoy a happy life and lawful rights of religious freedom and education and various ethnic groups live in harmony and solidarity. These are all plain facts.

China is ready to share successful experience with other countries, and continue to contribute to the international counter-terrorism cooperation through strengthening exchanges and cooperation in counter-terrorism and de-radicalization. We hope that the latest tragedy on London Bridge will not be repeated.

Q: US Permanent Representative to NATO Ambassador Hutchison, said in an interview with US media that China is now a developed threat in the world and it's time to bring it "into the rules-based order." She also said that the US is only seeking fair trade and anyone in international business doing deals with China has been supportive of President Donald Trump's firm stance with Beijing. Can I get a response on this?

A: These remarks are very interesting. Maybe Ambassador Hutchison has too much confidence. Speaking of threat, results of a global Pew poll early this year show that 45 percent of those surveyed think the US poses a serious threat to their countries. Even some US allies don't like its role today in the world. In Germany and France, 49 percent see the US as a threat. The proportion for Japan and South Korea is 66 and 67 percent respectively. So it is only too clear who is the threat.

Speaking of rules, the US has become addicted to withdrawing from commitments. It has pulled out of international organizations including UNESCO and UNHRC. It has also withdrawn from international treaties like the Paris Agreement, the JCPOA and the INF. It also refuses to ratify important human rights instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Many world leaders have exclaimed that as the world is challenged by unilateralism, it is good to have China on the side of multilateralism and international rules.

Speaking of trade, the US is undermining the international trade order by waging trade wars and wantonly imposing tariffs. It has not only hurt Americans' interests, but has also become the top source of uncertainty and risks. I have never met anyone in support of US trade protectionism, not even business people from the US itself. If you are not convinced, just ask American business people based in or visiting China. Not long ago, former leaders and business people from all over the world came to China for the 2019 New Economy Forum. A strong consensus at the forum is concerns about and opposition to US unilateral acts.

We hope this ambassador will have a sober understanding of her country and the wider world, which is her due responsibility.

The US may have reasons to feel anxious, but it has to be reasonable.

Q: Namibia's general election results came out on November 30. President Hage Geingob has won another term with 56.3% of the vote. What is your comment?

A: China is glad to see the smooth general election in Namibia and congratulates Mr. Geingob on his re-election. We believe that under his leadership, the Namibian government and people will forge ahead to score greater achievements.

China and Namibia have a deep traditional friendship. The Chinese side values relations with Namibia and stands ready to advance mutually beneficial cooperation to enhance our comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and benefit the two peoples.

Q: The Global Times' editor-in-chief said in his twitter today that based on what he knows, since the US Congress plans to pass the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, China is considering to impose visa restrictions on US officials and lawmakers who have made odious performance on the Xinjiang issue. He also said that China might also ban all US diplomatic passport holders from entering Xinjiang. I wonder if you could confirm or give any comment on this?

A: China is fully determined to oppose interference in internal affairs by any external forces and to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. We will take further steps if necessary as the situation evolves.

Q: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway declared in a joint statement on December 2 that they will join the INSTEX mechanism for trade with Iran. What is your comment?

A: We note the reports. INSTEX marks an important effort on the European side to safeguard the JCPOA. It reflects a determination to uphold multilateralism and the international order based on international law. China highly commends that. We welcome this decision made by the six countries and support efforts to move forward the INSTEX. It will help promote cooperation between Europe and Iran and ensure the implementation of the JCPOA. We hope this mechanism will soon cover more areas and open up to non-EU countries as third parties to facilitate the normal economic and trade cooperation between Iran and the international community.

Q: State Councilor Wang Yi will visit the ROK this week, the first time the Chinese foreign minister has visited the country in five years. Do you have details on the purpose of his visit and what he hopes to accomplish?

A: State Councilor Wang Yi will visit the ROK from December 4 to 5. China and the ROK are important, close neighbors and cooperative partners. Bilateral relations have been growing with a sound momentum. The two sides maintain close coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues. During the visit, State Councilor Wang will meet with ROK leaders and hold talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to exchange ideas over bilateral ties and issues of common interest. We will keep you updated if there is new information.