Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on December 29, 2025

CCTV: Starting from this morning, the PLA Eastern Theater Command is conducting military drills in areas near the Taiwan Island. Some said the drills are carried out in response to the US$11.1 billion arms sales to Taiwan announced by the U.S. this month. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: The spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command has made an announcement of the military drills. The drills are a punitive and deterrent action against separatist forces who seek "Taiwan independence" through military buildup, and a necessary move to safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Let me stress that to advance their separatist agenda, the DPP authorities are turning Taiwan into a powder keg. Their massive and desperate arms purchase further reveal their true nature as provocateurs, saboteurs of peace and war-mongers. Anyone who tries to arm Taiwan to contain China will only embolden the separatists and push the Taiwan Strait closer to the peril of armed conflict.

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. Nothing will deter China from defending national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China's firm response. All attempts to hold back China's reunification will invariably fail. 

China News Service: On December 26, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel and Somaliland signed a joint declaration of mutual recognition and establishment of full diplomatic relations. What's China's comment?

Lin Jian: China expresses grave concern over Israel's recognition of Somaliland and is firmly against it. China notes the statement issued immediately by the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia firmly rejecting the move. Regional organizations and countries, including the African Union, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Intergovernmental Authority on Development, have also deplored and strongly condemned the move.

According to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, Somaliland is an inalienable part of Somalia's territory. China firmly supports Somalia's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and opposes any move to split its territory. The issue of Somaliland is entirely Somalia's internal affair. It should be resolved by the Somali people in a way suited to their national conditions and in line with the constitution. Countries outside the region should stop unwarranted interference. No country should seek selfish interests by aiding and abetting separatism in other countries. We urge the Somaliland authorities to stop at once their separatist activities and collusion with external forces.

TASS: Could you please share China's key priorities and vision for its upcoming APEC chairmanship?

Lin Jian: Thank you for your interest in this. As 2026 APEC host, China will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen next November. At the APEC meeting in Gyeongju, the ROK, President Xi Jinping noted that China stands ready to take the opportunity of hosting the 2026 APEC to bring all parties together to build an Asia-Pacific community, with a focus on advancing practical cooperation in such areas as the development of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), interconnectivity, digital economy and AI, so as to inject greater vitality and impetus into the development in the Asia-Pacific and better benefit the people in the region. President Xi Jinping's important speech charted the course and provided fundamental guidance for China to host APEC meetings and spearhead APEC cooperation in 2026.

As agreed by all APEC members, the theme of APEC in 2026 is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together." Building an Asia-Pacific community is not only a goal but also means concrete actions. To realize this vision, the APEC "China Year" identified "openness, innovation and cooperation" as the three priorities for next year's APEC cooperation. Openness is the lifeline of Asia-Pacific prosperity. We should work together to safeguard the multilateral trading system, build an open economic environment in the region, jointly enhance interconnectivity in the Asia-Pacific, and work for new progress and results in building an FTAAP. Innovation is the driver of Asia-Pacific prosperity. We should seize the opportunities offered by innovation-driven development, pool more consensus on AI and digital economy, harness new technologies to empower, and bridge the digital and AI divide in the Asia-Pacific region. Cooperation is the underpinning of Asia-Pacific prosperity. The Asia-Pacific has the greatest complementarity in terms of resource endowment and development stage. APEC has a variety of well-established, multi-tiered mechanisms for practical cooperation, which is a unique strength of APEC. We should make full use of these mechanisms, turn the complementarity between member economies into opportunities to expand cooperation. To meet the development needs of different economies, we should further step up cooperation in such areas as the fiscal and financial sector, food security, energy, small and medium-sized enterprises, transportation, tourism, human resources and healthcare. Looking forward to working with all APEC members to make the APEC "China Year" a full success and energizing economic growth in Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Global Times: Today, Global Times released 2025 Global Survey on Impression and Understanding of China, which covered 46 countries with a focus on how foreign public perceives, understands and evaluates China. According to the results, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is highly recognized. Global public opinion holds favorable view of China and looks forward to a bigger role of China. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: China's development is now increasingly interconnected with the world. China's image in the world receives great attention. We noted that according to the survey, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is highly recognized. Important visions and philosophies, such as "building a community with a shared future for humanity," "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," "putting people first," "further deepening reform comprehensively," and "advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance," have been well-received. Visions and experience on governance, such as the in-depth implementation of the spirit of central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving work conduct and formulation and implementation of five-year plans, receive international acclaim. In the international community, there has been a positive outlook on China's economic growth, great interest in China's culture and technologies, expectation of China's involvement in international affairs and reform and improvement of global governance, and hope that their country will have friendlier relations with China.

We also noted that this year, surveys of several international polling organizations show that an increasing number of people around the world have greater interest, better impression and more approval towards China. These survey results reflect the world's full recognition of China's development achievements, governance capability, open spirit and cooperation vision. They also reflect countries' hope for China to deeply participate in international affairs and lead global governance.

Amid the complex and evolving international situation, it is all the more valuable that China and the world engage in sound interactions and that the Chinese people and people of other countries have closer understanding of each other. We will continue to provide more stability and certainty to the world with greater confidence in opening to the world, sincere readiness to share development opportunities, and a sense of responsibility for leading global governance. Together China and countries in the world will write a new chapter of mutual success.

Reuters: I just want to follow up on what's been said today about the war games around Taiwan. Could you tell us if the trigger of these games was due to the US$11.1 billion arms sales to Taiwan? Is the United States the so-called "external interference forces" that the Eastern Command is referring to? (Similar question from NHK)

Lin Jian: Let me stress once again that nothing will deter China from defending national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China's firm response. 

Ukrinform News Agency: The Presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, held a "constructive meeting" in the U.S. on a plan to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comments on the results of the meeting? And in this context, President Zelenskyy, before his visit to the United States, said that unfortunately, he currently does not see China's readiness to join the peace process, instead China has increased the volume of imports of Russian energy resources, but money from energy exports is spent by Russia on the war. Would the Ministry like to respond on this statement?

Lin Jian: On your first question, we noted the report. China supports all effort conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and hopes parties will reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement through dialogue and negotiation at an early date.

On your second question, since the crisis broke out, China has maintained close communication with relevant parties, including Russia and Ukraine. We have been working for a ceasefire and promoting peace talks and our effort speaks for itself. China supports all efforts that are conducive to peace and will continue to play a constructive role to this end. 

RIA Novosti: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that Russia stands against "Taiwan independence" in any form and will support China in defending national unity and territorial integrity in case of the possible escalation in the Taiwan Strait. I wonder what's China's comment on this?

Lin Jian: China commends Russia's long-standing support for China on the Taiwan question. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair. The one-China principle is a prevailing international consensus and a basic norm in international relations. Nothing will ever deter China from defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

RIA Novosti: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday that China is willing to provide assistance to the ASEAN observation mission in monitoring the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand. Could you please clarify whether this assistance includes sending Chinese peacekeepers to the border area of the two countries?

Lin Jian: China is heartened by the ceasefire reached between Cambodian and Thai militaries under the joint efforts of various parties. Since the border conflict began, China has, guided by the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, worked actively to facilitate talks for peace. 

Foreign Ministers of China, Cambodia and Thailand met in Yunnan today. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the discussions were helpful and constructive, and important consensus was reached: It is important to look ahead and move forward. The ceasefire agreement is a hard-won result, its implementation should not stall and must not be derailed halfway, still less should the fighting resume. This is the last thing that people want and certainly not what China would hope to see. It is important to implement the agreement at the right pace without lapse. Implementation of the ceasefire requires continued communication and consultation. Restoring bilateral relations can be done step by step. As long as there is faith and equal dialogue, Cambodia and Thailand can achieve it together. It is of utmost importance to rebuild trust. There has been a loss of trust due to the conflict, but Cambodia and Thailand have and will always be each other's neighbors, with a long history of living side by side as friendly nations. 

The three sides issued the press release of China-Cambodia-Thailand Fuxian Meeting, which identifies five aspects where Cambodia and Thailand need to step up communication and enhance mutual understanding, namely consolidating ceasefire step by step, resuming normal exchanges, rebuilding political mutual trust, improving Cambodia-Thailand bilateral relations and safeguarding regional peace. China will always work to promote Cambodia-Thailand relations, and stand ready to offer all necessary facilitation and support, including ceasefire monitoring, humanitarian assistance and de-mining cooperation. We hope and believe that the Cambodia-Thailand relations will soon return to the right track.

CGTN: It was reported that voting on the first day of Myanmar's general election concluded on December 28. What is China's comment?

Lin Jian: The government of Myanmar held voting for the first phase of the general election on December 28. Chinese observer mission and representatives from relevant countries and international organizations observed the process at the scene. The voting process was generally stable and orderly, giving the election a smooth start. China hopes that the upcoming second and third phases of voting will also be smooth and enable the situation in Myanmar to stabilize and deescalate, help restore political normalcy, bring about more broad-based and stable peaceful reconciliation, and bring back stability and development at an early date.

Reuters: I just want to follow up on what you said about the Thailand and Cambodia ceasefire. Is it accurate and fair to say that China brokered that ceasefire deal? Were China's mediation efforts this time after the latest fighting different from previous efforts?

Lin Jian: Since the border conflict began, China has worked actively to facilitate talks for peace. China will always work to promote Cambodia-Thailand relations, and stand ready to offer all necessary facilitation and support. We hope and believe that the Cambodia-Thailand relations will soon return to the right track.

AFP: A monument to China's contributions to the Panama Canal was torn down over the weekend by order of local authorities who said it had a structural damage that posed a risk. The decision has been criticized by other leaders in Panama as well as China's ambassador to the country. I'm just wondering if the Foreign Ministry has additional comments on the situation?

Lin Jian: China deplores the forced demolition by relevant local authorities in Panama, and has protested to Panama. The friendly exchanges between the people of China and Panama are time-honored. The monument stood as a witness and memorial to the time-honored friendship between China and Panama, and to the tremendous contribution of Chinese workers who traveled across the oceans to Panama in the 19th century to help build the Twin Ocean Railway and the Panama Canal, some even paid the ultimate price during the construction. The monument is also a recognition of the integration of the Chinese into local communities. The forced demolition is a seriously egregious move in nature. It gravely hurts the feelings of the extensive Chinese community in Panama, and goes against the overall momentum of China-Panama friendship. China noted that the forced demolition has triggered indignation in Panama. President Mulino publicly condemned the move. The presidential office has ordered the immediate reconstruction of the monument on the original site. China has asked Panama to get to the bottom of this matter, rectify the local government's wrongdoing and undo the negative impact as quickly as possible.