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Zhuang Pinghui

Liu Zhen

He Huifeng

Will China allow the media to visit the disputed South China Sea islands? Is wayward North Korea still an ally? Will Beijing further expand its interests abroad?
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the sensitive issues at his annual press conference, which took place on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Tuesday morning.
We give you the highlights.

North Korea
“The confrontation in the Korean Peninsula is tense and full of the smell of ‘gunpowder’… China will not watch its own security interests being damaged for no reason.”
China will not sit by and watch the stability of the Korean Peninsula being disrupted, Wang said.
Beijing will also not compromise its stance on the denuclearisation of the region, he said.
“We stand firm on the denuclearisation path of the Korean Peninsula and will not tolerate any nuclear or missile plan that North Korea advances,” Wang said.
“The confrontation in the Korean Peninsula is tense and full of the smell of ‘gunpowder’. It would be a disaster for all parties if the tension intensified or got out of control.

READ MORE: North Korean nuclear weapons ‘on standby’ after sanctions, while US and South mull missile deployment
“As the peninsula’s biggest neighbour, China will not watch its stability being sabotaged or China’s own security interests being damaged for no reason.
“We strongly urge all parties to maintain sensible restraint and not further aggravate the conflict.”
Wang did not directly answer questions on whether China and North Korea remained allies or if there would be another Korean war.
Rather, he described the two as having “normal nation-to-nation relations with a profound friendship”.
The foreign minister reiterated China’s support for the long-stalled six-party talks to find a peaceful resolution over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme
Beijing was open to all initiatives, even if it involved fewer parties, as long as it could bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table, he said.

South China Sea
“China will not allow ... anyone to muddle the South China Sea and cause chaos in Asia.”
China will not allow anyone to cause chaos in the South China Sea, Wang said.
As the biggest coastal country along the South China Sea, Beijing wished to uphold freedom of navigation in the region but that did not mean the freedom to do anything any country wanted, he warned.
“China will not allow – nor would most countries in the region – allow anyone to muddle the South China Sea and cause chaos in Asia,” Wang said.
READ MORE: China enlists fishermen’s help to protect maritime rights in disputed South China Sea
The foreign minister shrugged off accusations that Beijing was militarising the South China Sea.
China was not the first country to build military facilities the region, he said, nor was it the country with the most such facilities or activities being conducted there.
“China cannot be accused of militarisation. This label suits other countries better,” Wang said, without making direct reference to the United States.
Beijing was merely building necessary defence and civil facilities on the Spratly Islands, he said.
Beijing’s efforts to set up emergency maritime hotlines in the region had been “obstructed by certain individual countries” and that was why people saw little progress, he added.
Wang said China would not rule out taking journalists to the disputed islands after its infrastructure facilities were completed.

China’s overseas interests
“We are willing to try to build some necessary infrastructure and support facilities in the regions of Chinese interests.”
China will take more active measures to protect its growing interests overseas, Wang said.
Millions of Chinese nationals live abroad, more than 30,000 Chinese companies have offshore offices, and China’s overseas assets in stock amount to several trillions of US dollars.
The massive scale of China’s interests overseas required Beijing’s effective protection, the foreign minister said.
“It is a pressing task for China’s diplomacy,” Wang said.
On top of existing anti-pirate naval fleet escorts in the Aden Gulf and contributions of funds and personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, China would take up more international security obligations, Wang said.
READ MORE: Chinese tycoon eyes huge potential for mainland companies in Africa
Asked about the setting up China’s first overseas naval base in Horn of Africa country Djibouti, Wang said the move was “reasonable, logical and compatible with international norms”.
“We are willing to try to build some necessary infrastructure and support facilities in the regions of Chinese interests,” he said.
China would take part in more law enforcement and security cooperation programmes and constructively participate in resolving international and regional issues politically, Wang said.
But it would not seek hegemony or expand as traditional powers did, he added.

United States
“I believe that the two countries can think over how to develop cooperation in the South China Sea after the US truly calms down.”
China and the United States could consider maritime cooperation when “the US truly calms down”, Wang said.
Frictions between the two sides had increased of late because of disputes in the South China Sea, he said, but Beijing remained hopeful as previous disputes over internet security were eased after a dialogue was set up between the two countries.
“Recently, there has been growing friction [between China and the US] because of maritime disputes [over the South China Sea]. But I believe that the two countries can think over how to develop cooperation in the South China Sea after the US truly calms down.” Wang said.
READ MORE: ZTE faces US export restrictions over Iran surveillance system deal
The foreign minister also slammed US sanctions over ZTE, China’s largest listed telecommunications manufacturer, as a move that “causes harm to itself and others”.
Both sides should face their differences and find ways to resolve their problems, such as through the two nations’ cooperation in last year’s Paris climate talks, he said.
Wang added that the root of the tension lay in Washington’s suspicions about Beijing’s intentions and worries that China would one day replace the US.
“China is not the US and China will never become another US. We have no intention of replacing any other country as a leader of others,” he said.

Japan
“Japan should think hard and think it through whether to treat China as friend or foe, partner or opponent.”
The outlook for Sino-Japanese relations offered no optimism although there had been signs of improvement, Wang said.
Ties with Tokyo had been badly damaged because of Japanese leaders’ “double-faced” behaviour in claiming to be trying to improve relations while at the same time continuing to cause trouble for Beijing, the foreign minister said..
“As far as the China-Japan relationship goes, the root cause of the [strained ties] lies in Japanese leaders’ wrong perception of China,” Wang said.
“Japan should think hard and think it through whether to treat China as friend or foe, partner or opponent.”
READ MORE: China, Japan mull restarting ministerial talks on economic affairs after 5 ½-year gap, says report
Sino-Japanese ties have been frosty since 2012 when Tokyo chose to nationalise the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, which are administered by Japan but claimed by China.
High-level diplomatic talks between the two countries almost came to a standstill and Beijing called off a proposed visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.


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Tough questions, straight answers: China’s top diplomat on the South China Sea, North Korea, Japan, the US and more

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi does not shy away from addressing the sensitive issues as he speaks during his annual press conference in Beijing on Tuesday morning. Photo: Simon Song

epa05165477 (FILE) A file handout picture dated 18 February 2015 and made available by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office shows an aerial view of construction at Mabini (Johnson) Reef by China, in the disputed Spratley Islands, in the south China Sea. China has deployed two batteries of sophisticated surface-to-air missile launchers to a disputed island in the South China Sea, news reports said on 17 February 2016. Satellite imagery from ImageSat International showed two batteries of eight missile launchers on Woody Island, part of the contested Paracel Islands, media reported. A US official confirmed that the imagery showed the HQ-9 air defense system, which has a range of around 200km, the report said. The report came as US President Barack Obama met with South-East Asian leaders in California, where they called for 'maritime security' and urged 'non-militarization and self-restraint' by countries in the region. Beijing claims nearly all of the South Chin

epaselect epa04947798 Demonstrators with Chinese and United States national flags gather at sunset in Washington, DC, USA, 24 September 2015. Chinese President Xi Jinping begins an official state visit at the White House with US President Barack Obama on 25 September. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER

Japanese national flags flutter in front of buildings at Tokyo's business district in Japan, February 22, 2016. Growth in Japan's manufacturing activity slowed sharply in February as new export orders contracted at the fastest pace in three years, a worrying sign that overseas demand is deteriorating rapidly as China's economy slows, a preliminary survey showed on Monday. REUTERS/Toru Hanai TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

epa05051755 The President of the People's Republic of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping (L), arrives at Waterkloof Air Force Base ahead of his state visit to South Africa, in Pretoria, South Africa, 02 December 2015. South African President Jacob Zuma will engage in bilateral talks where they will look at the progress made thus far on the Strategic Programme between the two countries. EPA/JACOLINE SCHOONEES/POOL

epa05191821 (FILE) An undated file picture released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North Korean ruling Workers Party, shows a North Korean military's missile firing drill at an unknown location in North Korea. According to media reports quoting South Korea's defense ministry on 03 March 2016, North Korea has fired 'several' short-range missiles into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at 10:00am (0100 GMT) on 03 March. The UN Security Council on 02 March 2016, unanimously passed a resolution significantly tightening sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile tests in the past two months. The sanctions are the tightest imposed by the council in 20 years and the toughest to date on the country officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). EPA/RODONG SINMUN SOUTH KOREA OUT NO SALES

China enlists fishermen’s help to protect maritime rights in disputed South China Sea 

Fishing boats leave for the ocean at dusk. Photo: SCMP Pictures

***NOT TO ARCHIVE*** South Sea Fleet commander Jiang Weilie visited soldiers stationing on Subi Reef, a reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, on March 23 (last Saturday), praising their contribution for China‚Äôs national defence.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi participates in a joined news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department February 23, 2016 in Washington, DC. Foreign Minister Wang is on a three-day visit to Washington. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Aircraft carrier John C. Stennis has sailed into the South China Sea to exercise their freedom to navigate through the tense region. The show of force comes a week after the head of U.S. Pacific Command said China was militarizing the region. (Photo: MCSA Justin Rayburn/Navy)

Vietnam backs latest US challenge to Beijing’s sovereignty in South China Sea, say analysts

No Caption Available.

A file picture of the USS Curtis Wilbur, which sailed close to an island claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea on Saturday. Photo: AFP

New | Tough questions, straight answers: China’s top diplomat on the South China Sea, North Korea, Japan, the US and more

North Korea