6 key takeaways from China’s top diplomat Wang Yi’s press conference at the Two Sessions
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre, left) at a press conference at the Third Session of the 14th National People's Congress of China in Beijing, on March 7.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on a range of topics on March 7 on the sidelines of the Two Sessions, China’s most important political event of the year.
Here are six key highlights from his 90-minute press conference,
1. China will “provide certainty to this uncertain world”
China has positioned itself as a firm supporter of multilateralism.
Mr Wang noted that in a changing and turbulent world, certainty is “becoming a scarce resource”.
“The choices made by countries – especially major countries – will determine the trajectory of our times and shape the future of the world,” he said.
“Chinese diplomacy will stand firm on the right side of history and the side of human progress. We will provide certainty to this uncertain world,” he added.
Noting that the Chinese have a “glorious tradition of relentlessly seeking self-renewal”, Mr Wang said China “never provoke and are not intimidated by provocations”.
“No maximum pressure, threat or blackmail can undermine the unity of the 1.4 billion people or stop our historic stride towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We will be a just and righteous force towards world peace and stability,” he added.
2. No word on whether China will consider sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Asked about the Ukraine war, Mr Wang said China, since day one of the crisis, has been advocating for peace talks.
Beijing aims to “create conditions and build consensus for resolving the crisis” and welcomes “all efforts towards peace”, he added.
Noting that the Ukraine crisis has been dragging on for more than three years, Mr Wang said: “All parties should learn something from the crisis. Among many others, security should be mutual and equal and no country should build its security on the insecurity of another.”
He did not respond to a question from news agency Bloomberg about under what circumstances Beijing would consider sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Neither did he call for European countries, including Ukraine, to be included in ceasefire talks.
US President Donald Trump has pivoted to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow.
On China-Russia relations, Mr Wang said: “No matter how the international landscape evolves, the historical logic of China-Russia friendship will not change.”
Both countries marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.
3. The US “should not return good with evil”
When asked how China will engage differently with the current Trump administration compared with the first one, Mr Wang mentioned mutual respect, calling it the basic principle for state-to-state relations and an important prerequisite for bilateral ties.
“No country should fantasise that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with China at the same time,” said Mr Wang. “Such a two-faced approach is not good for the stability of bilateral relations or building mutual trust,” he added.
On the issue of fentanyl, Mr Wang said China has put in place “the toughest and most comprehensive narcotics policy in today’s world”.
He reiterated that fentanyl is a problem that must be confronted and resolved by the US and that China has helped the US in various ways.
“The US should not return good with evil or even impose arbitrary tariffs. No responsible major country should do that,” he said.
Each side has imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on goods
4. Friction between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea is “shadow play”
In response to a question on the progress towards a code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea and the frictions between Beijing and Manila, Mr Wang said the South China Sea situation is stable under the efforts of China and Asean.
The frictions between the Philippines and China are “shadow play”, a screenplay written by external forces, he claimed.
He added that consultations are accelerating and a third reading of the single draft of the COC has concluded.
China claims maritime rights over nearly 80 per cent of the South China Sea, loosely delineated by a “nine-dash line” on Chinese maps. The area within the dashes overlaps with areas that Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan claim as their territories or exclusive economic zones.
The Straits Times reported previously that talks between Asean and China to sign the long-delayed South China Sea COC are ramping up, with differences closer to being ironed out than before.
In a separate response, Mr Wang said that Asia “is not an arena for big power rivalry”, accusing the US of doing nothing for countries in the region but “stirring up troubles and creating disputes”.
“It has proved to be more of a disruptive than a constructive contributor,” he said of the US.
5. Taiwan has “never been a country”
Mr Wang reiterated Beijing’s long-held stance that Taiwan has never been a country.
“It was not in the past and it will never be in the future,” he said of the self-governing territory claimed by China. He added that any effort by Taipei to seek independence is doomed to backfire and that using Taiwan to contain China will be a futile attempt.
Mr Wang also mentioned Taiwan in a separate response to a question on China-Japan relations.
He said he has a message for “some unrepentant individuals in Japan” who are still working in the shadows with so-called Taiwan independence forces.
“Stop the propaganda that a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency. The truth is, to provoke trouble in the name of Taiwan is to invite trouble to Japan,” he said.
China’s Foreign Ministry had on Feb 10 complained to Japan over “negative” references to China in a statement issued after a meeting between Mr Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington the week before.
6. On tech rivalry: “Where there is suppression, there is innovation”
Mr Wang was also asked about US-China competition in science and technology.
China has made rapid progress in becoming a strong tech nation, he said, but added that the journey has not been smooth, be it in missile technology, space science or chip making, due to unjustified external suppression of China’s technological development.
“But where there is blockade, there is breakthrough; where there is suppression, there is innovation,” he said.
He cited achievements such as the artificial intelligence upstart DeepSeek, quantum computing, missions to space and 5G telecommunication networks.
China is ready to share the “fruits of our innovation” with more countries, he said, and jointly explore the mysteries of the stars and oceans. In particular, it will give priority to science and technology capacity-building in the Global South.
Michelle Ng is China correspondent at The Straits Times. She is interested in Chinese foreign policies, property trends, demographics, education and rural issues.
