(LUO JIE / CHINA DAILY)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a recent speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, negated every aspect of China-US relations, maliciously attacked the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China’s political system, and attempted to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people.
He also wantonly criticized China’s domestic and foreign policies, spread the so-called “China threat”, and called for an anti-China alliance to contain China’s development.
Pompeo’s baseless, fact-distorting speech misrepresents history and the reality. It is full of ideological prejudice and driven by a Cold-War mentality. His remarks have not only been condemned by the Chinese people, but also criticized and opposed by sensible people in the United States as well as the international community.
Here, in the second of a two-part series, we debunk the lies fabricated by Pompeo. The first part was published in last week’s Global Weekly. Let the facts speak for themselves.
Mike Pompeo: The massive imbalances in the US-China relationship have built up over decades. Chinese trade abuses sucked supply chains away from America, cost American jobs and strike enormous blows to the economies all across America.
False.
Fact check: In today’s era of globalization, the interests of all countries are deeply intertwined. The formation and development of the global industrial chain and supply chain is the result of the joint work of market rules and the choice of enterprises. China and the US have become each other’s most important trading partner and investment destination, as well as a community of shared interests deeply connected by industrial, supply and service chains.
— The Sino-US relationship is defined by equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. It has been based on mutual benefit from the very beginning. China owes nothing to the US. In Sino-US economic and trade cooperation, China receives capital, technology and management experience from the US, while the US has gained market share in China and occupied the high end of the global industrial chain and value chain.
Both countries have benefited greatly from their cooperation with each other. Through complementary and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, the US economy has achieved faster growth, American families have saved significant costs of living, and American companies have gained handsome profits. Both China and the US have achieved remarkable development and progress through cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the two countries and their peoples.
— Sino-US economic and trade cooperation is essentially mutually beneficial and win-win. China and the US are each other’s largest trading partner and important source of investment. In 2018, their bilateral trade exceeded US$630 billion and the stock of two-way investment exceeded US$240 billion. Statistics of the US-China Business Council in May 2019 showed that between 2009 and 2018, China was one of the fastest growing markets for US goods exports, with an average annual growth rate of 6.3 percent and a cumulative growth rate of 73.2 percent, much higher than the average growth rate of 56.9 percent to the rest of the world.
By the end of 2018, Chinese enterprises had invested US$73.17 billion in the US. Chinese investment in the US has made positive contribution to the development of local communities, and the increase in jobs and tax revenue. During COVID-19, China once again became the largest trading partner of the US. In May 2020, bilateral trade rose to US$46.5 billion, and China’s holding of US Treasury bonds exceeded US$1.08 trillion.
— American enterprises have invested in more than 70,000 businesses in China, with annual sales of US$700 billion, and 97 percent of these are profitable. There are only two single markets that account for more than 10 percent of Apple’s global revenue. One is the US market, with a total revenue of US$96.6 billion, and the other is the Chinese market. In 2017, General Motors’ sales in the Chinese market accounted for 42 percent of its global sales, and were 1 million units more than the sales in the US market. Qualcomm’s chip sales and patent license fees in China accounted for 57 percent of its total revenue.
According to a survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China in May 2020, 84 percent of American enterprises were unwilling to withdraw from China, 38 percent of American enterprises would maintain or increase their investment in China, and China was still the most favored market for American enterprises.
— Sino-US economic and trade cooperation has brought tangible benefits to the American people. For more than 40 years, bilateral trade in goods between China and the US has increased by more than 250 times, supporting about 2.6 million jobs in the US. About 72,500 US enterprises have invested in China and most of these have benefited a lot.
According to the 2019 State Export Report released by the US-China Business Council on May 1, 2019, US exports to China supported more than 1.1 million jobs in the US from 2009 to 2018 and 97 percent of the US companies surveyed said doing business with China was profitable. Chinese investment in America had spread across 46 states, directly creating more than 140,000 jobs in America.
Trade between China and the US saved each American family an average cost of US$850 per year, equivalent to 1.5 percent of the household income in America. According to the US Travel Association, Chinese tourists spend an average of US$7,000 per trip to the US, including air tickets and accommodation.
— The main causes of unemployment among certain groups in the American society are the mistakes of US economic policies and the lack of redistributive and re-employment mechanisms in the context of technological progress and economic restructuring. Arthur R. Kroeber, a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations, told the Asia Society that the problem with the hit to American employment over the past few decades was the failure of the US to adjust its domestic policies in a timely manner. A report by the Cato Institute, a US think tank, noted that US manufacturing job losses and worker losses had little to do with Chinese imports.
— According to a Cato Institute report, American consumers have benefited greatly from Sino-US trade. From 2004 to 2015, due to imports from China, US consumer price index dropped by an average 0.19 percent annually, effectively easing inflation in the US. Sino-US trade helps, not hurts, American manufacturers and workers. It is estimated that out of every US dollar Americans spend on “made in China” products in 2018, 56 cents went to American companies and workers, and importing Chinese products has helped American manufacturing become more competitive, invest more and innovate more.
— The US unilaterally provoked a trade war with China, and this will ultimately damage its own interests. The Peterson Institute for International Economics projected that raising tariffs on imported automobiles would cause about 195,000 US workers to lose their jobs. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimated that due to the additional tariffs imposed on US$250 billion worth of Chinese exports in 2018, US consumers would have to spend an extra US$52.8 billion every year. That is US$414 more in expenditure for every American family.
Recently, 160 American companies submitted a joint letter to the US Congress, demanding the cancellation of the additional tariffs on China, saying that in 2019, due to the additional tariffs, the US public paid an extra US$50 billion, which is US$1,277 on average for each household, and the market value of US listed companies shrank by US$1.7 trillion.
— The US attempt to forcibly “decouple” the Chinese and American economies, cut off the global industrial, supply and value chains, and disrupt the global economic and trade pattern poses the biggest threat to the safety of the industrial and supply chains of the two countries and the world at large. Former US Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg and former Assistant Secretary of State Phil Gordon argued that the Trump administration has overlooked the benefits that two generations of Americans have reaped from importing affordable consumer goods, low-cost inputs for high-end manufacturing exports, and growing US export surpluses in services and agricultural products.
The trade war or “decoupling” pursued by the Trump administration would hurt American workers, farmers and consumers. According to a study by Moody’s Analytics, US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China has already cost the US an estimated 300,000 jobs and an average of around US$600 per household from higher prices.
Pompeo: China ripped off America’s prized intellectual property and trade secrets.
False.
Fact check: China is a big country in terms of innovation and intellectual property (IP), and has kept strengthening the protection of scientific innovation and intellectual property. China is now among the world’s leaders in terms of the scale and growth rate of innovation input. Its R&D expenditure had grown from 300.31 billion yuan (US$43.63 billion) in 2006 to 1.97 trillion yuan in 2018, recording an average annual growth of 17 percent and rising from the sixth to the second in the world.
China has the world’s biggest number of researchers. China’s IP offices have received the highest number of patent applications for nine years in a row. China has also registered a rapid increase in international patent applications and grown into the world’s second biggest filer of international patent applications via the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty System. The annual WIPO report recognizes China as a main driving force for intellectual property development in the world.
— In recent years, China has continued to take effective measures, introduced a number of policies and measures to strengthen intellectual property, and intensified law enforcement and protection, which have produced remarkable results. The decision to amend the “Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China” has substantially raised the cost of infringement and violations. China has released the “Guidelines on Strengthening Reform and Innovation in Intellectual Property Trials” and the “Guidelines on Strengthening the Protection of Intellectual Property,” emphasizing the need to promote coordinated advancement of intellectual property protection and enhance the overall level of protection. China has joined almost all major international intellectual property treaties.
In 2019, the country scored 78.98 points in terms of public satisfaction over intellectual property protection. According to the 2019 Business Confidence Survey report released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, around 60 percent of the 585 EU companies interviewed regarded that China’s administrative and judicial protection of intellectual property had been significantly strengthened.
The International Intellectual Property Index report released by the US Chamber of Commerce in March 2019 specifically pointed out that China has made outstanding achievements in improving the online sales environment and drug patent enforcement. In the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report, China lifted its ranking to the 31st slot, and made it to the list of top 10 improved economies for the second year in a row.
— The Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress held an antitrust hearing on July 29 this year. When asked whether they believe the Chinese government is stealing technology from American companies, the CEOs of Apple, Google, and Amazon all said that they had not experienced such cases.
— Yahoo News quoted US government officials as saying that “US President Trump gave a secret order that gives more powers to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for cyberattacks”. This secret authorization makes it easier for the CIA to conduct covert cyber operations without White House approval. Since the secret order was signed, the CIA has implemented at least 12 operations.
On March 3 this year, Chinese cyber security company Qihoo 360 discovered that APT-C-39, a cyberattack organization of the CIA, had conducted cyberattacks on China for 11 years. During this period, China’s aerospace companies, scientific research institutions, petroleum industry, large internet firms and government agencies have all suffered attacks to varying degrees.
Pompeo: The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston is a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.
False.
Fact check: The US fabricated false charges and forcibly closed the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston, with the aim of pushing for a “decoupling” between China and the US. It is an important part of the US strategy to suppress China and is strongly opposed by the vast majority of rational Americans.
— The Consulate-General in Houston was the first Chinese consular mission opened in the US following the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties. In the past 41 years, it has worked hard to promote friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, and enhance mutual understanding and all-round cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. While COVID-19 raged on in the southern US states, the Consulate-General donated masks to Houston and Harris County, and assisted Shanghai Municipality, Shandong Province and Shenzhen City of China in donating medical supplies to Houston.
— The composition and number of the staff at the Consulate-General in Houston was open information to the US side. To accuse the Consulate-General as the hub of Chinese spying and intellectual property theft runs against the common sense in diplomacy. Reports from Cable News Network (CNN), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Houston Chronicle and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) showed that closing the Chinese Consulate-General prior to the election was a measure by Trump to “play tough on China”, hold up his declining approval rating and turn China into a convenient target to vilify and shore up votes.
The New York Times questioned the assertion that “the Houston Consulate-General had a history of engaging in ‘subversive behavior’ and was the ‘epicenter’ of research theft in the US”, and believes that there is no evidence to support this allegation. Shocked by the decision of the US government, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed his hope that whatever the friction may be between the US and China, it can be resolved peacefully and that at some point in time the Consulate-General will reopen.
— An editorial of The Houston Chronicle said China is the second-largest trading partner of the Houston region, and the region has benefited greatly from having the Consulate-General in the city. For more than 40 years, the Chinese Consulate-General has served as a symbolic bridge, facilitating travel, trade and cultural ties between Houston and China.
Pompeo: Many Chinese students and employees come to the US to steal intellectual property.
False.
Fact check: The US cooked up false charges against the normal scientific, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with China based on the presumption of guilt. Such actions run counter to its self-proclaimed ideas of openness and freedom, the public commitments made by US leaders, and the global trend of personnel exchanges, and have caused serious and negative impact on people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
— The past four decades have seen growing cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, with over 5 million mutual visits recorded every year. Exchanges and cooperation in education and scientific research, in particular, have yielded fruitful results and benefited both countries. China has been one of the most popular destinations for American students in the past 40 years, during which more than 330,000 American students have come to China to further their study.
China has also been the largest source of overseas students for the US for 10 consecutive years. In the 2018-2019 academic year alone, the number of Chinese students in the US totaled 370,000, accounting for one-third of the country’s international students. In addition, as the statistics of the US’ National Science Foundation suggest, China and the US are each other’s largest collaborating country in internationally co-authored papers and their interdependence far exceeds that of other countries.
– It is in the interest of both sides to boost exchanges and cooperation in areas like science and technology. As shown in Global AI Talent Tracker, a report published in mid-June by the Paulson Institute’s in-house think tank MacroPolo, America’s big lead in AI is inseparable from China’s talent pool, with nearly one-third of these researchers completing their undergraduate education in China.
— In his book The Gift of Global Talent, William Kerr, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, said that inventors with Chinese descent accounted for more than 10 percent of patents in the US. In 2018, for example, Chinese students in the US reached 370,000, bringing about US$20 billion worth of benefits to the US economy. Turning a blind eye to the contribution of Chinese students and researchers and acting in disregard of the objection from their own scholars, American politicians are putting their own country’s interests at stake.
— After the US Department of Homeland Security put out the announcement to bar international students taking only online classes from obtaining visas or maintaining current visas, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) filed a lawsuit against the action, contending that the order violates the Administrative Procedure Act, because the policy lacked reasonable justification and the public was not given notice to comment on it. Universities and institutions of higher learning across the country have joined Harvard and MIT in the lawsuit or filed lawsuits on their own. Many describe the new visa rules as “policymaking at its worst”, “cruel and reckless” and “deeply misguided”.
— For some time, the US, out of its ideological bias, has made Chinese students and researchers the target of surveillance, harassment and willful detention, and fabricated absurd charges like “espionage” against Chinese scholars under the presumption of guilt. These US actions have seriously violated the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and severely disrupted normal cultural and personnel exchanges between the two countries.
Such practices are outright political persecution, which not only goes against morality and justice, but also hurts the US’ own image. MIT President Rafael Reif said in an open letter to the university in 2019 that the “unfair scrutiny” targeting Chinese would “create a toxic atmosphere of unfounded suspicion and fear”, bringing harm to this world-renowned research university and the US.
Pompeo: China sends propagandists into the press conferences, schools, research institutions in the US.
False.
Fact check: These remarks have fully exposed the ideological prejudice of the US side. Media organizations should not be judged by the political systems and ideologies of their countries, but the objectivity, authenticity, fairness and impartiality of their news reports. Each country has its own national conditions and ways of media management and operation. The US should not judge other countries’ media by its own standards and based on its own ideology.
Chinese media organizations in the US have always followed local laws and observed professional ethics. They have carried out news reporting normally and have never interfered in the internal affairs of the US. Over the years, they have played an important and positive role in enhancing the objective understanding and friendliness of the Chinese people toward the US.
— In recent years, the US government has imposed unwarranted restrictions on the normal news reporting of Chinese media outlets and their staff in the country. It has continuously escalated discrimination and political suppression against Chinese media and restricted their freedom. In December 2018, CGTN America was registered as a “foreign agent” under orders from the US Department of Justice.
On Feb 18, the US State Department designated five Chinese media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, as “foreign missions” and demanded personnel, property and other information from them. On March 2, the US State Department announced that from March 13, the five Chinese media outlets designated as “foreign missions” have to slash the number of Chinese nationals permitted to work in America by 60, a 40 percent cut in staff members, which means the de facto expulsion of the Chinese journalists stationed in the country.
— The US has for a long time imposed discriminatory visa policies on Chinese journalists. US-based Chinese journalists are only granted single-entry visas, which means they have to reapply for visas after they leave for China or for a third country, and nine Chinese journalists have not been able to return to the US after leaving the country. In contrast, the US gives multiple-entry visas to journalists from other countries and regions. When applying for US visas, Chinese journalists are often requested to provide a substantial amount of additional documents.
Meanwhile, it has become a common practice for the US side to prolong and indefinitely delay the approval process and even deny the application in the name of administrative review. Statistics show that from 2018, more than 20 Chinese journalists have had their visa applications indefinitely delayed and even denied. Some Chinese journalists applied for US visas in mid-December 2019, but so far have not received any feedback from the US side and their passports have not been returned either.
In May 2020, the US limited the duration of stay for US-based Chinese journalists, including those based in the United Nations, to 90 days, which means they have to apply for a visa extension every 90 days. If the extension application is not approved, the journalists will be forced to leave America. This new move has seriously disrupted the normal reporting work of the Chinese media.
— At present, there are about 500 foreign journalists based in China. China has provided active assistance to facilitate their work and life. Normally, the applications of foreign journalists for the extension of press cards get approved within 10 workdays. For a long time, US journalists in China have been able to travel to and from China many times with their valid certificates without applying for new visas.
In 2019 alone, US resident journalists in China traveled to and from the country more than 700 times. China welcomes media outlets and journalists from all countries to report in China in accordance with laws and regulations, and will continue to facilitate and assist their work.
— As of July, a total of 28 US media outlets have sent resident journalists to the Chinese mainland, with 34 offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They have hired 29 US journalists, 34 non-US journalists and 135 employees. In addition, there are more than 20 US media outlets operating in Hong Kong, with more than 400 staff. These US journalists are free to attend press conferences held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ask questions without restriction.
In recent years, some US media outlets have concocted a lot of “fake news” with distorted facts, and pointed fingers at Xinjiang and Hong Kong affairs. They are sparing no effort to smear and attack China and even attack China’s political system. China opposes ideological prejudice against it, opposes the fabrication of fake news under the pretext of so-called freedom of the press, and opposes acts that violate the professional ethics of journalism.
Pompeo: Chinese companies do not answer to independent boards, and many of them are state-owned and have no need to pursue profits. A good example is Huawei.
False.
Fact check: The fourth national economic census of China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that by the end of 2018, there were 15.61 million private companies in the country, up 178.6 percent from the end of 2013, and 84.1 percent of total enterprises were private ones, up 68.3 percent. The number of state-controlled enterprises were about 242,000, accounting for only 1.3 percent of total enterprises.
— Creating wealth and profits are the natural pursuit and the most important functions of businesses. NBS statistics revealed the following profits made by China’s major industrial enterprises (with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan each) in 2019: 1.64 trillion yuan by state-controlled enterprises, 4.53 trillion yuan by joint-equity enterprises, 1.56 trillion yuan by foreign as well as Hong Kong-, Macao- and Taiwan-invested enterprises, and 1.82 trillion yuan by private enterprises.
— In China’s economic system, the private sector contributes to over 50 percent of tax revenue, over 60 percent of GDP, over 70 percent of technological innovation, and over 80 percent of urban employment, and accounts for over 90 percent of the number of enterprises.
— Huawei is a leading private enterprise, and 100 percent employee-owned. The Chinese government has no shares in Huawei, which adopts an employee shareholding scheme involving 104,572 people through its trade union. Only Huawei employees are eligible to participate, and no government departments or organizations have any shares in Huawei.
(LUO JIE / CHINA DAILY)
Pompeo: Huawei is not an innocent telecommunications company but a national security threat to the US.
False.
Fact check: Over the past three decades, Huawei has grown from a small company to one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment suppliers, providing quality services to over 3 billion people in more than 170 countries and regions. The company has brought enormous business opportunities to the global telecommunications industry and won a good international reputation. Each year, Huawei makes nearly US$80 billion worth of purchases globally from 13,000 suppliers in more than 140 countries. Purchases from the US alone were nearly US$19 billion.
— Huawei strictly abides by local laws wherever it operates. The company has long been expressing its readiness to sign no-backdoor and no-eavesdropping agreements with any country, set up cybersecurity testing centers and open itself to testing. This is enough to prove Huawei’s innocence and transparency. So far, not a single country, a single company or a single individual has been able to produce solid and conclusive evidence to prove that Huawei poses a security threat to them. Huawei funded a cybersecurity testing center in the United Kingdom and opens itself to testing by UK experts. No other companies in any other country could do this, and no US companies could act in such an open and honest way.
— Huawei owns a total of 87,805 patents worldwide, of which more than 90 percent are invention patents, including 11,152 core ones granted by the US authorities. According to the latest statistics from German market intelligence company IPlytics, Huawei has declared the largest number of 5G essential patents, accounting for 15.05 percent of the total number of declarations. The Patent Index 2019 of the European Patent Office suggested that Huawei was its top applicant that year, with its declared 5G essential patents outnumbering all US companies.
— The US government has, with no factual basis at all, abused state power to willfully oppress and sanction Huawei under the pretext of national security. This is nothing short of economic bullying. For the US, the so-called national security is nothing but a code name of hegemony.
— In an analysis titled Huawei and the Mantra of Security published on July 20 this year, Xulio Rios, director of the Spanish Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said the repeated use of national security to discredit Huawei looks like a good story. He mentioned that the truth behind the US pressure on its allies to block Huawei is that “Huawei’s technology is highly competitive and places China ahead in the marketplace.” They are trying to curb China’s development by classifying Huawei as a “security” threat.
– Jeffrey Sachs, the economics professor at Columbia University, agrees that targeting Huawei is never simply a security concern. “The US concocted, in my opinion, the view that Huawei is a global threat,” he said, noting that the US has leaned very hard on its allies ... to try to break the relations with Huawei. “The US lost its step on 5G, which is a critical part of the new digital economy.”
— According to US media reports, the US Rural Wireless Association estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks. Replacing the equipment would cost US$800 million to US$1 billion, which means certain US rural areas may lose basic communications facilities. Banning the purchase of Huawei and ZTE equipment or services by rural operators, as advocated by some in the US, could end up harming the interests of American businesses and consumers.
Pompeo: Countries should become Clean Countries so that their citizens’ private information does not end up in the hand of the CCP.
False.
Fact check: The US administration has generalized the concept of national security, resorted to the presumption of guilt and state power to hold down Chinese enterprises, and intervened in the economy with political means. All this has run counter to the free market, fair competition and entrepreneurship that the US has been advocating globally for many years, seriously disrupted the order of the market economy, and violated WTO rules. These acts have undermined the open, transparent, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, affected the development prospects of the global 5G and digital industries, and damaged the common interests of all countries in the world.
— The Chinese government has never asked, and will not ask its enterprises or individuals to violate local laws, and to collect or provide data, information and intelligence of foreign countries through the installation of “backdoor” or other ways.
— The Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection of personal privacy of citizens and has been committed to improving laws and regulations on the protection of personal privacy. Chinese laws and regulations, such as its Civil Code, the Cybersecurity Law and the decision of the NPC Standing Committee on strengthening online information protection, have clear stipulations on the collection, use and protection of personal information.
— After the 9/11 attacks, the US adopted the USA Patriot Act that requires Internet companies to provide users’ information on a regular basis. The “Prism Gate” incident has exposed that under the monitoring of US intelligence agencies, US citizens have no personal privacy in their phone calls, communications, documents, voice mail and other data.
The phone calls of leaders of countries, who used to be very close allies of the US, have also been eavesdropped by the US for a long time. Facts have shown that it is the US that has carried out the largest network surveillance and espionage operations in the world, and the US is the largest “hacker empire” in the world. For this, the United Nations adopted the resolution “Privacy in the Digital Age” initiated by European countries.
— In May 2019, the Der Tagesspiegel of Germany reported that after years of scrutiny by the British government, the German Federal Office for Information Security, the European Commission and other agencies, no obvious “backdoor” has been found on Huawei equipment. However, security flaws are often found in the equipment provided by the US company Cisco. Since 2013, Cisco has been involved in at least 10 cases, which are more in line with the description of the so-called “backdoor”.
— There are security flaws in Cisco’s devices, and many “backdoor” incidents have been reported. Cisco deliberately sold video surveillance technology containing serious security vulnerabilities to government agencies, and was sued by video surveillance experts of its distributor NetDesign. In 2019, Cisco eventually paid US$8.6 million to settle claims for its act of “leaving backdoor”.
— As early as in 2014, Apple admitted that it could extract personal data such as SMS, address book and photos of its mobile phone users through the backdoor of Apple’s mobile phone system. Its CEO Tim Cook said publicly that “China has never asked us to unlock the iPhone, but the US has asked for it.” Facebook was also revealed to have a backdoor to its users’ accounts.
Pompeo: China has set up concentration camps in Xinjiang.
False.
Fact check: There are no so-called “concentration camps” in Xinjiang, and its vocational education and training centers were established in accordance with the law. The centers are similar in nature to community correction programs of the US, the Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DDP) of the UK, and the deradicalization center of France, all beneficial attempts and positive explorations for preventive counter-terrorism and de-extremism. These are consistent with the principles and spirit of a series of counter-terrorism resolutions, including the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
— It is a practice with ulterior motives for some US politicians and media to call Xinjiang vocational education and training centers “concentration camps”. The Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a non-governmental organization supported by the US government, has come to the absurd conclusion that 10 percent of Xinjiang’s 20 million population are detained in the so-called “concentration camps”, simply based on its interviews with eight people and rough estimates.
A survey by Grayzone, a US news website, revealed that Adrian Zenz, a pseudo scholar, had fabricated the rumor that the total of detainees in Xinjiang exceeded 1 million based on a report by Istiqlal TV, a Turkey-based exile media organization. According to Grayzone, rather than being an impartial news organization, Istiqlal TV has advocated separatism and received all kinds of extremists. Even Adrian Zenz himself admitted that he was uncertain with his estimate.
— For some years, Xinjiang has been a victim of terrorism and extremism. According to preliminary statistics, between 1990 and the end of 2016, ethnic separatists, religious extremists and violent terrorists have plotted and carried out several thousand acts of terrorism, resulting in the deaths of a large number of innocent civilians, the killing of several hundred police officers, and huge property losses.
Thanks to the law-based anti-terrorism, deradicalization and vocational education and training initiatives in Xinjiang, there have been no violent terrorist cases in the region for more than three years, and people of all ethnic groups have acquired a notably stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.
— Vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang have focused on the main problems facing the trainees, such as low proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin, lack of understanding of law and occupational skills, and the influence by religious extremism to various degrees. A curriculum that includes standard spoken and written Mandarin, legal courses, vocational skills and deradicalization has been developed, with the aim of eliminating the root causes of terrorism and religious extremism.
The centers strictly implement the basic principles of respecting and protecting human rights enshrined in China’s Constitution and laws, fully respect and guarantee the trainees’ personal freedom and freedom of religious belief, the right to use their spoken and written languages, and the customs of different ethnic groups. There are access to various living facilities, and legal and mental counseling rooms. All trainees are covered by public pension and medical insurance schemes, and are entitled to free health examination.
So far, all the trainees involved in the courses of standard spoken and written Mandarin, legal courses, vocational skills and deradicalization have graduated, and been employed with the help of the government. They are living much-improved and happier lives.
— In October 2019, more than 60 countries, including over 30 Islamic countries, addressed the UN General Assembly in support of China’s policy in Xinjiang. None of the few countries that criticized China’s policies was an Islamic country.
Since the end of December 2018, Xinjiang has been visited by more than 70 groups of UN officials, foreign diplomats in China, representatives of relevant countries to the UN Office at Geneva, media reporters and religious groups. The number of these visitors, who come from over 90 countries, exceeded 1,000. They noted that Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism and deradicalization efforts were consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN in fighting terrorism and safeguarding basic human rights, and should be fully recognized and learned from.
— Many foreign diplomats, experts, scholars and media reporters, after a personal visit to the vocational education and training centers, said the Chinese government had introduced a number of preferential policies and measures to improve people’s livelihoods in Xinjiang in line with local conditions, benefiting the people of all ethnic groups with prosperity and vitality.
Before visiting Xinjiang, they had thought that the centers were “concentration camps”. However, after seeing with their own eyes how the trainees studied and lived at the centers, receiving skills training and attending various activities based on their interests, they realized that the so-called “concentration camps” were all lies maliciously spread by Western politicians and media.
Pompeo: China walked away from its promise to the world on Hong Kong.
False.
Fact check: The central government has been unswervingly implementing the policy of “one country, two systems”. Since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, this principle, along with “the people of Hong Kong administering Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy, has been effectively implemented and made widely recognized achievements.
“One country, two systems” has been proven to be the best institutional arrangement to maintain Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability. The central government will continue to uphold the integrity of the “one country, two systems” policy, and ensure its faithful implementation.
— The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is China’s Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is not relevant in this regard. As China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all provisions concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration had been fulfilled. The basic policies on Hong Kong stated by China in the Joint Declaration are its policy declaration, which have since been fully embodied in the Basic Law enacted by the NPC. China’s relevant policies have not changed, and will continue to be adhered to.
— At the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held between June 30 and July 17, when a small number of Western countries smeared China on Hong Kong-related issues, more than 70 countries supported China’s legitimate position and condemned the action to use Hong Kong to interfere in China’s internal affairs. This reflected the common voice and just position of the international community. It is not hard to tell who wins over the support of the majority.
— Hong Kong has been one of the world’s freest, open, prosperous and dynamic regions. From 1997 to 2019, its GDP increased from HK$1.37 trillion (US$176.77 billion) to HK$2.87 trillion. Over the years, Hong Kong has maintained its status as an important global financial center. By the end of 2019, the total value of Hong Kong’s stock market approached US$5 trillion, closely trailing that of New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.
— According to the annual competitiveness rankings compiled by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong has moved up the chart since its return to the motherland, and has for four times claimed the first or second place between 2015 and 2020.
— By 2019, Hong Kong had been rated as the world’s freest economy for 25 consecutive years by the US-based Heritage Foundation.
Pompeo: The CCP has tightened its grip on Hong Kong, where democracy and freedom are suppressed.
False.
Fact check: For more than 150 years under the British colonial rule, there was no democracy in Hong Kong, as none of the governors were elected by the Hong Kong people, and its legislators were directly appointed by the governor for most of the time. In sharp contrast, after Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) enjoys executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication, in accordance with the Basic Law of the HKSAR. Hong Kong people have been running their own affairs in the HKSAR with a high degree of autonomy. Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented and extensive democratic rights and freedoms, which is an undeniable truth for all people without prejudice.
– It is enshrined in the constitutions of more than 100 countries that the exercise of basic rights and freedoms shall not endanger national security. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights makes it clear that freedoms of religious belief, expression and peaceful assembly, the right to a public trial and other rights may be subject to restrictions that are necessary to protect national security, public order among others. There are similar provisions in the European Convention on Human Rights.
What has happened in Hong Kong over the past year clearly reveals that it is impossible for Hong Kong to achieve prosperity and stability without safeguarding national security. During the turbulence over the amendment bill last year, the rioters flagrantly preached “Hong Kong independence”, engaged in mass illegal violent activities, vandalizing facilities and attacking innocent civilians. They challenged the governance of the HKSAR government and escalated their violent terrorist activities.
External forces became emboldened in their unlawful meddling in Hong Kong affairs. These have gravely threatened the life and property of Hong Kong residents and undermined investors’ confidence. The main reason for the instability and chaos was that the foundation of national security was not firm enough. The enactment of the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong is aimed to plug loopholes in the HKSAR’s national security legislation.
— The legislation only targets four types of offences, namely, secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. It is designed to deter and punish a handful of criminals who seriously jeopardize national security, and to protect the overwhelming majority of law-abiding Hong Kong people.
All efforts and law enforcement relating to safeguarding national security will be conducted in strict accordance with legal provisions, mandates and procedures. The legislation will not affect the rights and freedoms, including those of speech, of the press, of publication and of assembly that Hong Kong residents enjoy under the law. It will enable them to better exercise their lawful rights and freedoms in a secure environment.
— The enacted legislation will not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents under the law. It will not affect the HKSAR’s independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. There will be no change to the policy of “one country, two systems”, the capitalist system practiced in the HKSAR, the high degree of autonomy, or the legal system of the HKSAR.
The legislation will better safeguard the lawful rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, ensure its high degree of autonomy, and create conditions for resolving deep-rooted problems concerning its economy and livelihood. It will contribute to Hong Kong’s rule-of-law and business environment, address the concerns in the business communities on social turbulence, and create better conditions for people around the world who are willing to work, invest and live in Hong Kong.
— The legislation meets the aspiration of the people. Nearly 3 million Hong Kong residents signed up in support of the law in just eight days. An online signing campaign against external interference by the US and other forces have got support from 1.65 million people in half a month. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and other chambers of commerce made announcements to support the legislation, pointing out that it is monumental in Hong Kong’s future development and will help restore social stability.
None of the 4,000 regional headquarters and offices of multinationals operating in Hong Kong left the city. The Hang Seng Index kept opening higher and maintained an uptrend after the implementation of the legislation and despite the US announcement of revoking Hong Kong’s special status. All these have directly reflected that the legislation is favored by the financial market.
Pompeo: China’s military grows stronger and more menacing.
False.
Fact check: China is a socialist country with a strategic choice to follow the path of peaceful development, an independent foreign policy of peace, and a cultural tradition of “valuing peace as the most precious”. All this made China unswervingly pursue a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.
— The development of China’s national defense is necessary to safeguard its own sovereignty, security and development interests, to defend its unity and territorial integrity, and to maintain international and regional peace and security.
— The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has always actively fulfilled the international responsibilities as the military of a major country, and promoted the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind with real action. It has made all-out efforts to advance international military cooperation in the new era, provide more public security goods to the international community, and contribute to building a better world of lasting peace and universal security.
Since 1990, the Chinese military has participated in 26 UN peacekeeping operations and sent more than 40,000 peacekeeping military personnel, making it the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Over the past 30 years, groups of Chinese peacekeepers have braved difficulties and dangers, bringing peace and hope to the conflict areas and the local people.
This year, all 410 officers and soldiers of the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeepers at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon were awarded the UN Peace Medal of Honor, and more than 100 officers and soldiers of the 23rd batch of Chinese peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo were awarded by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC or MONUSCO.
— During the COVID-19 outbreak, the PLA actively carried out international cooperation against the epidemic with defense departments and militaries of many countries, contributing to international public health security and a global community of health for all. During the outbreak, the PLA has sent military anti-epidemic expert groups to four countries including Laos and Cambodia.
It has provided epidemic prevention material assistance to defense departments and armies of more than 20 countries such as Pakistan, Russia and Thailand through air force transportation and other means. It has held video conferences with defense departments and armies of 10 countries such as Russia and South Africa to exchange epidemic prevention and control experience.
— Unilateralism by the US undermines international order and its bullying behavior challenges norms governing international relations, posing the greatest threat to world peace and stability. According to public information, the US military budget for 2019 topped US$716 billion, accounting for over 40 percent of the world’s total military expenditure and equivalent to the total of the nine countries following it.
The US defense budget accounted for 3.5 percent of its GDP in 2019, while China’s annual defense expenditure accounted for less than 2 percent of its GDP in the past 30 years, which is lower than not only the world’s major countries, but also the world average of 2.6 percent. China’s per capita military spending is even lower, only accounting for one twenty-second of America’s, one-ninth of Britain’s and one-fifth of Japan’s.
— With hundreds of military bases around the world, the US has been war-free for only 16 of its 240-plus years of history. The US has imposed “regime change”, instigated “color revolutions” and exerted maximum pressure, causing regional turmoil and people’s suffering. Since 2001, the US has illegally launched wars and military operations against Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries, which cost more than US$6.4 trillion and resulted in more than 800,000 deaths and tens of millions displaced.
Pompeo: The purpose of the People’s Liberation Army is not to protect the Chinese people.
False.
Fact check: The PLA is the people’s army that loves and serves the people. Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that our army is the people’s army, and our national defense is the national defense of all the people. The PLA has always born in mind its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly by keeping the people in mind, always standing with the people and fighting for them forever.
Whether it is earthquake relief, flood emergency rescue, or fight against the epidemic, the people’s army has always been in the forefront, fighting day and night, to protect the people’s lives and property without hesitation. The closely linked relationship between the army and the people, likened to that of fish and water, is an inherent feature of the PLA.
— Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the PLA has resolutely implemented the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi, by acting on orders, bravely shouldering heavy burdens, daring to fight hard battles, racing against time and fighting against the diseases.
More than 450 medics from medical universities of the army, navy and air force of the PLA rushed to Wuhan, the hard-hit city in central China’s Hubei Province, and over 10,000 medics of the PLA devoted themselves to fight the epidemic and protect the people’s lives and health. They have played an important role in and made outstanding contributions to epidemic prevention and control.
— Since June, floods have hit some provinces in southern China. The PLA and the People’s Armed Police Force have dispatched 29,000 officers and soldiers to the frontline to fight floods, build dams, rescue the trapped and resettle the affected. They act as commandos at the critical moment, safeguarding the people’s lives and property.
— The PLA takes participating in poverty alleviation as a major political task, and shares the CPC’s concerns, serves the country’s interests and brings benefits to the people with a strong sense of responsibility. By the end of May, 4,100 poor villages, 293,000 poor households and 924,000 poor people that the PLA targeted to help had all been lifted out of poverty. The PLA’s achievements in poverty alleviation is a demonstration of “the people’s army loves the people” in the new era.
Pompeo: China makes unlawful claims in the South China Sea, trampling on international law.
False.
Fact check: China has exercised effective jurisdiction over relevant islands, reefs and waters in the South China Sea for over a thousand years. China’s sovereignty and relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history, and are solidly grounded in history and law, conforming to international law and practice.
As early as the 2nd century BC in the Western Han Dynasty, the Chinese people sailed in the South China Sea and discovered the South China Sea islands in the long course of activities. China is the first to have discovered, named, and explored and developed the South China Sea islands and relevant waters, and the first to have continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over them, thus establishing sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and the relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea.
— Many foreign documents also recorded the fact that during a long period of time only Chinese lived or made a living on the Nansha Islands.
The records of the Chinese fishermen living and working on the Nansha Islands were kept in documents including The China Sea Directory published in 1868 by order of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty of the United Kingdom, The Asiatic Pilot, Vol. IV, published by the United States Hydrographic Office in 1925, the French magazine Le Monde Colonial Illustre published in September 1933 as well as Japanese literature Boufuu No Shima (Stormy Island) published in 1940.
— China’s longstanding exploration, development and sovereign jurisdiction over the South China Sea islands have long been acknowledged by its neighboring countries, which conforms to the principles of customary international law.
China has resumed the exercise of sovereignty and other lawful rights and interests over the relevant islands, reefs and waters in the South China Sea in accordance with the post-World War II (WWII) international order and relevant territorial arrangements established in the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, and has maintained and consolidated international law in the South China Sea since WWII, which has been recognized by many countries in the world, including the US.
After WWII, China recovered the Nansha Islands and resumed exercising continuous and effective jurisdiction over these.
— In 1948, the Chinese government officially published the dotted line in the South China Sea, reaffirming its territorial sovereignty and relevant rights in the South China Sea. For a long time until the late 1960s, no country, including those littoral countries around the South China Sea, had ever questioned China’s sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. Later, due to the discovery of petroleum in the South China Sea, some countries began to raise territorial claims to all or part of China’s Nansha Islands.
— Since the 1970s, some countries began to send troops to occupy certain islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Islands. So far, a total of 42 islands and reefs in China’s Nansha Islands have been illegally occupied by other countries.
— None of the working oil drilling rigs in disputed waters in the South China Sea is China’s. China’s oil and gas exploration, fishing and other activities in the South China Sea are carried out in waters under China’s jurisdiction. China is committed to working with littoral countries concerned to shelve maritime disputes and promote joint development of oil and gas resources for mutual benefit and win-win results.
— With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea remains stable in general. The consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea have made steady progress. China and ASEAN countries are willing to conclude the consultations on the COC at an early date, showing their firm conviction to formulate regional rules and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
— With regard to the award rendered on July 12, 2016, by the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration, China has solemnly declared that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it. China’s above position has sufficient legal basis. Territorial issues are not subject to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In 2006, China made a declaration under Article 298 of the UNCLOS that maritime delimitation disputes are excluded from the compulsory dispute settlement procedures.
By virtue of the principle of sovereignty, the jurisdiction of any international judicial or arbitral body over an inter-State dispute depends on the prior consent of the parties to the dispute. Despite China’s opposition, the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration imposed jurisdiction over matters without China’s prior consent, seriously violating the principles of sovereignty and consent of the States concerned.
The Arbitral Tribunal lacked legitimacy, impartiality and jurisdiction. The process was a political farce and the award was on flimsy legal grounds, challenging the norms of international law and impairing the solemnity and authority of UNCLOS. Tom Zwart, a well-known professor of law from the Netherlands, said the award by the Arbitral Tribunal will be regarded as the fruit of a poisonous tree in East Asia, and it will fail to garner recognition and support.
— China’s position and proposition on the South China Sea arbitration has won widespread understanding in the international community, and nearly 120 countries expressed their support.
— The US refuses to join the UNCLOS in order to uphold its maritime hegemony and maintain its hegemonic status to the greatest extent.
— The South China Morning Post published an article titled “It’s the US stirring the pot in South China Sea” on July 28. The article pointed out that the US has no standing with the UNCLOS because it has never ratified it. Do people not find it bizarre that the US thinks it can sit in judgment over other countries’ disputes? It seems a rather transparent attempt to hijack those disputes to further Pompeo’s own not-so-hidden agenda, the article said.
Pompeo: China made the world’s key waterways less safe for international commerce.
False.
Fact check: As a matter of fact, China has been making great contribution to the global maritime trade security. China has always been committed to building a maritime community with a shared future. China has been involved in escort and humanitarian actions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for a long time.
China has also been pushing forward to jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and fully participating in making and implementing the ocean governance mechanism and relevant rules within the United Nations framework, to fulfill the sustainable development goals related to oceans and seas.
— China has been taking actions in safeguarding global maritime transportation security. According to relevant UN Security Council resolutions, China sent naval fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for regular anti-terrorist and anti-piracy escort missions. Up till now, China has dispatched 35 fleets escorting more than 6,800 merchant ships, more than half belonging to foreign countries and international organizations.
The safe and highly efficient escort missions by the Chinese naval fleets have won trust and recognition of merchant ships from all over the world. More and more foreign merchant ships have actively sought Chinese naval escort. A Panamanian merchant ship captain sent mail to the Chinese naval fleet expressing sincere thanks for the Chinese help.
— China has been developing international cooperation through the oceans. The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has carried out nine overseas missions, covering a distance of over 240,000 nautical miles. It has visited 43 countries and regions, providing free medical services for more than 230,000 people. The ship has also participated in disaster rescue operations and international military drills. Dubbed “the ship of life” and “the ship of friendship”, it has left behind many touching stories of Chinese warmth and assistance.
— China has made remarkable contributions to epidemic prevention and control in international shipping. During the COVID-19 outbreak, China’s Ministry of Transport compiled and issued operational guidelines on COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control for ships and crew, and emergency rescue and treatment guidelines for infected seafarers.
The International Maritime Organization has recommended the Chinese solutions to its 174 member countries. The guidelines have been a typical practice of China sharing experience in fighting the epidemic and uniting with the international society to combat the severe challenges brought by the epidemic on international shipping.
— From 2013 to 2016, China salvaged at least 3,396 Chinese and foreigners in distress from vessel accidents in the South China Sea area. According to the characteristics of the sea area and the actual conditions, China has set up rescue stations in Guangdong and Hainan, and deployed professional salvation vessels on duty.
Since July 2018, Nanhaijiu 115, Nanhaijiu 117 and Nanhaijiu 116 salvation vessels have taken turns on duty in the southern sea area of the South China Sea. They have completed 17 rescue missions, saving 37 lives and salvaging five vessels in distress, with the value of the saved property reaching around 39 million yuan.
According to a Reuters report in January 2016, some shippers believed a greater Chinese presence in the South China Sea could actually improve safety. One shipper in Singapore said: “If China is to base search-and-rescue assets on the (disputed) islands then there would potentially be faster response times, improving the chances of rescue and survival.”
— Starting from May 2015, China successively built five large-scale lighthouses on Nansha islands and reefs. China has been providing comprehensive navigation services, and undertaken functions concerning navigation support, maritime search and rescue, navigation safety, fishery production, as well as the preparedness and reduction of maritime natural disasters.
All these efforts have greatly enhanced the navigation safety support capability in this sea area. Since October 2018, China has started operating marine observation centers, meteorological observation stations and the Nansha Atmospheric Environment Monitoring Station in relevant Nansha islands and reefs, providing more public services to further safeguard navigation safety in the South China Sea as well as life and work in the littoral countries.
— The US introduced the Freedom of Navigation (FON) Program in 1979 ahead of the signing of the UNCLOS. Challenging the new maritime order, the move aimed at maximizing the freedom of the US military power rampaging through the oceans.
The so-called FON Program is not in conformity with the universally-recognized international law, disregards the sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests of many littoral countries, and seriously jeopardizes regional peace and stability. Its essence is to advance American maritime supremacy under the pretext of “freedom of navigation”, which has been opposed by many members of the international community, especially the developing countries.
— The US is the most destabilizing factor to global maritime security, often intercepting and seizing merchant ships and oil tankers of other countries, frequently threatening naval blockades on other countries and main shipping lanes, constantly organizing military exercises in the “disputed waters”, and provoking regional tensions. Some US military experts even touted the use of privateers to attack Chinese merchant ships.
Pompeo: To help deter China from aggression, the US has created a Space Force and has ramped up its freedom of navigation operations throughout the East and South China Seas, and in the Taiwan Strait as well.
False.
Fact check: Aggression and expansion are never in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years of civilization. China maintains continuity and stability in its foreign policy, and earnestly upholds international law including the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has never expanded its sovereignty claims, and is committed to negotiation and consultation to settle the territorial and maritime disputes with neighboring countries based on respect for historical facts and international law.
— China respects and supports all countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, and actively safeguards the security of international shipping passages. In fact, the South China Sea is currently one of the world’s safest and freest sea passages. About 50 percent of merchant vessels in the world and one-third of international maritime trade pass through this sea area. More than 100,000 merchant ships sail through it annually.
The navigation and overflight in the South China Sea have never been a problem. However, the US has been using the pretext of “freedom of navigation and overflight” to undermine the sovereignty and security interests of littoral countries, and jeopardize regional peace and stability.
— Since taking office, the current US administration has equated “freedom of navigation” with freedom of military action and carried out more than 20 so-called “freedom of navigation operations” in the South China Sea. This year, the US has sent nearly 3,000 military flights over the sea area.
According to a “South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative” website report on Aug 5, a US Air Force E-8C surveillance plane was seen reconnoitering as close as 59.27 nautical miles (about 109.77 km) off the coast of south China’s Guangdong province at about 21 o’clock. In July, the E-8C aircraft appeared six times in two weeks in the sea area to conduct reconnaissance operations.
The US also sent two aircraft carriers to these waters for military exercises while calling on its allies and partners to send warships and join it in making waves in the South China Sea. These practices by the US have posed a serious threat to regional peace and stability and do not serve the interests of all littoral countries in the region.
— Outer space belongs to all mankind. China calls for the peaceful use of outer space and opposes weaponization or an arms race there. This serves the common interests of all countries and is a shared responsibility. China is committed to jointly safeguarding lasting peace and tranquility in outer space, and opposes making it a new battlefield. The US, in contrast, has described outer space as a new war-fighting domain, built a Space Force and a Space Command, and plans to deploy anti-missile weapons, which will trigger an arms race and increase the risk of weaponizing outer space and making it a battlefield.
