CCTV: Recently, the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) released a report on the economic impact of trade with China on Australian households. The report shows that Australia’s trade intensity with China increased average Australian household disposable income by an average of AU$ 2,600 in the financial year 2022-23, which equates to 4.6 percent of the average household disposable income. Two-way trade with China contributed to 595,600 jobs in Australia, which cuts 4.2 percent of Australian households’ costs of living. The bigger the share of Chinese imports in Australia’s total imports, the greater the reduction in Australians’ costs of living. What’s China’s comments?
Lin Jian: China noted ACBC’s report. The facts and statistics in the report reveal the enormous benefits brought by trade with China to the Australians and the win-win nature of China-Australia trade ties. This once again demonstrates that China’s development is an opportunity, not a challenge for Australia.
China and Australia have a lot to offer each other’s economy and are natural partners. China is further deepening reform across the board and advancing Chinese modernization, which will generate more opportunities for China-Australia cooperation. The two countries share a promising future for cooperation. More cooperation will help turn our complementary advantages into strong drivers of development in both countries. It will also keep global industrial and supply chains stable and fully functional, and more importantly, contribute to the sustained economic recovery of the two countries, the region and the wider world. China stands ready to work with Australia to take the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries as a new beginning, implement the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries and the deliverables of Premier Li Qiang’s June visit to Australia, explore new cooperation areas, make the pie of mutually beneficial cooperation bigger, and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.
AFP: Russia and several Western countries swapped 26 prisoners, including a Wall Street Journal journalist. Does China have any comment on that?
Lin Jian: We noted the media reports. The US and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries with influence. We hope the two countries can resolve the issues in their bilateral relations through communication and dialogue, which would be conducive to regional and global peace and stability.
China Daily: Israel launched an airstrike on the southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital Beirut several days ago. The death toll has risen to seven and more than 80 people were wounded in the attack. We noted that countries including Lebanon, Russia, Iran and Syria have condemned the attack. Any comment on this? Does China condemn the attack?
Lin Jian: China condemns all acts that harm civilians. We are deeply concerned over the current situation and call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and avoid further escalation.
Beijing Daily: It was reported that President of Timor-Leste José Manuel Ramos-Horta said at an interview during his visit to China that his priority for cooperation with China would be sectors like health, education and agriculture. “If China is to deliver to Timor-Leste in five years free of extreme poverty” and so on, he will be “eternally, eternally grateful.” Timor-Leste is “not caught up in the rivalry” between major countries and it will “not take a side.” Timor-Leste had “exceptionally good” relations with both China and the US. On military cooperation, he said that “the irony is the country with a military presence in Timor-Leste is not China, it is three Western countries.” What is China’s comment? How would you comment on the outcomes of President Ramos-Horta’s visit?
Lin Jian: Earlier this week, President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta concluded his state visit to China. During the visit, President Xi Jinping had talks with him. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji met with him respectively. The two sides reached broad important consensus and issued the joint statement on strengthening comprehensive strategic partnership. Both China and Timor-Leste will carry forward the fine tradition of mutual trust and win-win cooperation, and strive for a general direction of building the China-Timor-Leste Community with a shared future. The two countries agreed to jointly uphold regional peace, development and prosperity, oppose cobbling together any exclusive groupings in the region, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
President José Ramos-Horta’s remarks demonstrate once again that peace and development is the aspiration of countries in the region, and hegemonism and power politics will not be popular among the people. China follows a path of peaceful development, treats other countries as equals regardless of their size, strives for common development in the region, and will, as always, firmly support the people of Timor-Leste in choosing the development path best suited to their national circumstances. China stands ready to work with Timor-Leste and other countries in the region to keep the region peaceful and stable and promote solidarity and cooperation.
Phoenix TV: The US Department of the Interior released the second volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report. The report disclosed that nearly 1,000 Indigenous children died while attending boarding schools operated or supported by the US government where many Indigenous children suffered from physical abuse there, and were forced to change beliefs and punished for using their Native languages. All these left intergenerational trauma on the Indigenous communities. What’s China’s comment?
Lin Jian: China noted the report. The history of the founding of the US was also a history of the suffering of Native Americans. The maltreatment of Indigenous people was an original sin and the existence of those Indian boarding schools is the biggest evidence. Historically, the US committed cultural, psychological, and physical genocide of Native Americans, who even till today remain an invisible community and disappearing minority.
Regrettably, the US has long been evading and trying to cover up that dark chapter of history. Not only that, the US has been spreading disinformation about so-called “forced labor” and “forced assimilation” under the pretext of human rights against other countries. The US turns a blind eye to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The US uses so-called “exterritoriality” to exonerate its troops that are responsible for gruesome crimes abroad, such as the death of civilians and the torture of prisoners. Is the report a genuine reflection on US historic crimes? Or is it just a perfunctory reaction to pressure? There seems to be a continued disconnect between what the US says and what it does.
The historical injustice long suffered by Native Americans must receive full and serious attention and the human rights abuses inflicted by the US in the world must be addressed. The US needs to draw lessons from history, take a hard look at its track record, and stop its human rights abuses and using human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.
Shenzhen TV: It’s reported that PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) announced that Indonesian drivers are capable of driving the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) at 350 kilometers per hour. This symbolizes great progress in driver training in the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project, and lays the foundation for Indonesia’s own operation and maintenance of the railway. What’s China’s comments?
Lin Jian: Since the Jakarta-Bandung HSR started operation last year, the Chinese and Indonesian teams have worked together in an all-round way on the high-speed railway operation, personnel training and technology transfer. As far as I know, the Chinese team has trained the first group of over 160 personnel, including drivers, in the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project. Indonesia now has its own high-speed railway tech team, which is something we are truly glad about. This is a vivid epitome of the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Indonesia and says a lot about how the Belt and Road cooperation is truly guided by the principles of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit. China stands ready to work with Indonesia to make the Jakarta-Bandung HSR a continuous success and a source of prosperity, happiness and safe and high-quality travel for Indonesia.
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