Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on January 10, 2025

As agreed between China and the UK, the 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue will be held on January 11 in Beijing. It will be co-chaired by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng and British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves as the lead persons of the Dialogue. 

CCTV: China just announced that Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will pay a state visit to China. Can you brief us on the program of the visit? How do you assess the current China-Sri Lanka relations? What does China expect to achieve through this visit?

Guo Jiakun: The upcoming visit will be President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's first visit to China after taking office, and is of great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will hold talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress will meet with him respectively.

China and Sri Lanka have long been each other's friend and close neighbor. Since our two countries established diplomatic ties in 1957, the bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international landscape, always maintained sound and steady growth, and set up a fine example of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries different in size. China stands ready to work with Sri Lanka through the upcoming visit to carry forward our time-honored friendship, deepen political mutual trust, and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practical cooperation in various fields for continuous new progress in advancing the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincerity, mutual support and ever-lasting friendship as well as more benefit for the two peoples.

Reuters: Please could you tell us whether any countries such as Nepal and India, since they are so close, have offered help in the Tibet earthquake search and rescue operation? Conversely, has China sought help from them?

Guo Jiakun: On the earthquake in Dingri County in the city of Rikaze, Xizang, we shared the latest developments and relevant response and relief effort yesterday. Currently China's search, rescue and medical care support is well guaranteed. We appreciate the care and support from the international community.

China News Service: The upcoming China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue will be another round of dialogue after nearly six years. Can you share with us the background and China's expectation of the dialogue?

Guo Jiakun: China and the UK by resuming the Economic and Financial Dialogue aim at implementing the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 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. Topics to be discussed during this dialogue include the macro-economic policy and economic globalization, trade and investment, industrial cooperation, the development of the financial market, and cooperation on financial supervision.

China and the UK are major economies and financial heavyweights in the world. Closer economic and financial exchanges and cooperation between the two countries serve their own interests, meet the expectation of all sectors, have significance to their economic growth and green development, and will inject more certainty and impetus to the world's economic growth.

We hope that the two sides through this dialogue will explore cooperation potential for more practical outcomes of economic and financial cooperation between China and the UK. 

CNN: I'd like to ask you a question concerning TikTok. As the United States' supreme court considers lifting the ban in the United States, do you have faith in the process and is the Chinese government providing guidance to ByteDance?

Guo Jiakun: My colleagues and the spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce have made clear China's principled position on questions related to Tiktok.

CCTV: It was reported that Lebanon held a presidential election on January 9, and Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun was elected as president. What is China's comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: China welcomes Lebanon's election of a new president and congratulates President Joseph Aoun on his election. China and Lebanon enjoy a traditional friendship. China attaches importance to developing relations with Lebanon. We will, as always, support Lebanon in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continue advancing the friendly ties and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas and working for new progress in bilateral relations.

Beijing Daily: Recently, there is a lot of attention on the increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China. The health departments of certain countries issued prevention advice to their nationals. Some are concerned about the safety of traveling to China and there are even claims about "unknown virus in China" on the internet. The World Health Organization said that China's reported levels of respiratory infections are within the usual range and that HMPV is not a new virus, but a common one. Many experts also said that there's no sign of a more serious global health issue. What's your comment?

Guo Jiakun: We've recently answered several relevant questions. Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere and influenza viruses are common pathogens. The overall scale and intensity of respiratory infectious diseases in China are lower than last year. 

Regarding the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) you mentioned, as we have learned from the competent authorities, it is not a new virus. HMPV has circulated in humans for at least 60 years and is a common virus that causes upper respiratory infections. HMPV infections are self-limited. Calling this common virus "unknown" is inconsistent with basic science and essentially fear-mongering.

The Chinese government takes seriously the health of its own people and foreign nationals living in China. China's competent authorities and technical agencies took proactive steps to carry out sentinel surveillance for various acute respiratory infectious diseases and released surveillance results. Chinese disease control experts have told the public on multiple occasions how to take science-based protective steps. Also, China and WHO stay in close and regular touch and share timely information on respiratory diseases. We will continue to do what's necessary and do our best to make sure it is comfortable, safe and convenient for domestic and foreign travelers in China. It is also important for everyone to make a common effort for personal and family health. 

AFP: Yesterday, prosecutors in Germany said that they had charged three people suspected of spying for Chinese intelligence services. They said the three individuals had supplied China with information on naval technology that could have military uses. Is the Foreign Ministry aware of this? And do you have a comment?

Guo Jiakun: We responded to the question before. Let me reiterate that China advances ties with Germany on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and mutually beneficial cooperation in accordance with laws and regulations. We hope Germany will stop peddling the so-called "Chinese spy risk" and not obstruct the sound and steady development of China-Germany relations. 

Reuters: US and Danish officials lobbied the developer of Greenland's largest rare earths deposit last year not to sell its project to Chinese-linked firms, its CEO told Reuters. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: I am not familiar with what you mentioned.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.