Scholz's Meetings in Beijing - Li's Pushback on Overcapacity - China-US Diplomatic & Military Dialogue - Zhong Sheng Commentary on US-Japan-Philippines Summit
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People's Daily’s edition on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Page 1: The lead story on the page is about Xi Jinping’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Xinhua reports:
“Currently, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and humanity faces growing risks and challenges. These problems can not be resolved without major-country cooperation, Xi said. As China and Germany are respectively the second and third largest economies in the world, the consolidation and development of their relations carries significance that goes beyond the bilateral scope, and has a major impact on the Eurasian continent and the entire world, Xi said, calling on the two countries to view and develop bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective, and work together to inject greater stability and certainty into the world.”
Xi added that China and Germany “do not have clashing fundamental interests between them and pose no security threat to each other. Cooperation between China and Germany benefits not just the two sides but also the world at large. The more instability in the world, the greater the need for the two sides to strengthen the resilience and vitality of their relations, Xi said, calling for joint efforts to keep to the overall direction of cooperation and development in growing bilateral ties, and stick to the characterization of all-round strategic partnership. China's policy toward Germany is highly stable and consistent, Xi said, noting that the two sides need to continue engaging in close exchanges with an open mind and enhance strategic mutual trust. As long as the two sides uphold mutual respect, seek common ground while reserving differences, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, and pursue win-win cooperation, China-Germany relations will continue to enjoy solid and sustained progress.”
Xi noted that the industrial and supply chains of China and Germany are deeply intertwined, and that the markets of the two countries are highly interdependent. Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a "risk," but the guarantee for a stable bilateral relationship and an opportunity for the future. There is huge potential to be tapped for pursuing win-win cooperation in both traditional sectors such as machinery and automobile, and new areas such as green transition, digitization and artificial intelligence, Xi said. It is important for the two sides to promote the win-win features of their relations and enable each other to succeed, Xi said, adding that China's export of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products has not only enriched global supply and eased global inflationary pressure, but also made important contribution to the global response to climate change and the green and low-carbon transition.”
“Noting that both China and Germany are countries built on industries, and both support free trade and economic globalization, Xi said it is important for the two countries to stay vigilant against the rise of protectionism, adopt an objective and dialectical view on the issue of production capacity through a market and global perspective and based on the laws of economics, and devote more efforts to the discussion on cooperation. China is committed to the basic national policy of opening up, and hopes that the German side can provide a fair, transparent, open and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Germany, Xi said.”
Xi said “that a multipolar world is, in essence, one where countries with different civilizations, systems and paths respect each other and coexist in peace. He said China and Germany need to independently carry out collaboration on multilateral fronts, push the international community to take real actions to better address global challenges such as climate change, unbalanced development and regional conflicts, and make greater contribution to the balance and stability of the world.”
I am not covering Scholz's reported remarks in Xinhua. Rather, I’ll cover German readouts below.
The report then touches on their discussion around the Ukraine war. Xinhua says that “both China and Germany stand committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, oppose the use of nuclear weapons or attack on peaceful nuclear facilities, and call for efforts to properly address the issue of global food security and observe the international humanitarian law.”
Referencing early resumption of peace talks, Xi put out some principles:
“first, focusing on the overall interest of peace and stability rather than seeking selfish gains;
second, cooling down the situation rather than adding fuel to the fire;
third, accumulating conditions for restoring peace rather than further aggravating tensions;
fourth, reducing the negative impact on the world economy rather than undermining the stability of global industrial and supply chains.”
(Comment: I wonder if Ukraine's desire for respect for its territorial integrity and to choose the path of development most suited to its national conditions is a selfish gain, as per Beijing?)
Xi called for holding “in due course” an international peace conference “that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans.”
They also discussed the “Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other international and regional issues of mutual interest.” He also called to “implement UNSC Resolution 2728, prevent escalation and further deterioration of the situation, ensure unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to Gaza, support the early settlement of the Palestinian question…”
In his press statement ahead of talks with Xi, Scholz prioritized the following:
The Ukraine war
Climate change
Multilateral rules-based order
Economic ties (he didn’t mention overcapacity in his public statements, but clearly this was discussed.)
Also on the page is the report on Scholz’s meeting with Li Qiang. Xinhua reports:
“Li called on the two sides to give full play to the role of inter-governmental consultation and other mechanisms at various levels, create new growth points for cooperation such as new-energy vehicles, digital economy, artificial intelligence and green development, and make greater efforts to support exchanges and cooperation in local, cultural, sports, youth, education, scientific research and other fields. China is determined to further opening up and is willing to import more quality German products, said the premier, adding that China will continue to optimize the business environment for German and other companies to invest and do business in China. China hopes that the German side will relax restrictions on high-tech exports to China and take concrete measures to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Germany, he added.”
“On the issue of production capacity, Li stressed that the issue should start from economic laws and be viewed objectively and dialectically from a market viewpoint and a global perspective. From a market viewpoint, the amount of production capacity is determined by the relationship between supply and demand, and having production moderately greater than demand is conducive to full market competition and promoting the survival of the fittest in the market, Li said. From a global perspective, the production capacity of different countries is determined by their comparative advantages. As long as countries strengthen cooperation, they can achieve common development, he added. China's new-energy industry has gained advantages through self-improvement and sufficient market competition, rather than by government subsidies, Li said, adding that the high-quality production capacity that China's new-energy industry continues to provide will make important contributions to global green development. China is ready to work with Germany and the EU to uphold fair competition and open cooperation, the premier said. He expressed hopes that the EU side will uphold market-oriented and fair principles, and prudently use trade remedy measures.”
The two men also attended a meeting of the China-Germany economic advisory committee. Li said that, as the largest developing country and the largest economy in Europe, “China and Germany should view each other's development as important opportunities, and treat each other as important partners.”
He also said that “China will continue to listen to the views of foreign companies on a regular basis, actively respond to their reasonable requests, and continue to take practical measures to ensure that more foreign companies, including German ones, are willing to come, stay and develop in China”.
The German Chancellery website has the press statement by both Li and Scholz after their meeting.
It quotes (caveat: this is entirely machine translated) Li as saying that:
First, both sides should implement the outcomes of government-level dialogue mechanisms, particularly the seventh government-level consultations last year in Berlin. Li called to “implement the results of the third high-level financial dialogue, the first Sino-German high-level Climate and Transformationa; Dialogue and the China-Germany high-level security dialogue.” He also called to hold a meeting of the Science and Technology Committee, the meeting between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Interior, consultations on cybersecurity, the Transport Forum and the Sustainable Development Forum, and the Agricultural Week…
On trade, Li said that “China is happy to import more high-quality German products and has agreed to lift restrictions on beef and apples from Germany. We hope, conversely, that Germany can lift export control permits on Chinese high-tech products as well as high value-added products. Both sides should better exploit the cooperation potential for services and strengthen cooperation in the production-related service sector. We expect that German entrepreneurs will be able to provide better or high-quality services to Chinese consumers in the areas of education, finance, tourism and culture.”
Third, he pointed to the need to cooperate in science and technology, auto industry, particularly NEVs and autonomous driving, AI, digital economy, and green economy.
Fourth, enhance people to people exchanges. Li mentioned that some 90,000 Germans have leveraged China’s new visa-free policy.
Li also reportedly said that “China wants China and Germany to view each other as important partners rather than rivals, so that our practical cooperation always remains a main line in our bilateral relations.”
On overcapacity, apart from what Xinhua reported, Li also said that following:
“The claim that the benefits of the renewable energy industry in China are shaped by subsidies does not correspond to the facts. Industrial subsidies are a common practice in the world, and many countries have even more subsidies than China. The subsidy policy complies with WTO regulations. Renewable energy products are therefore competitive because, firstly, we have long-term invested in research and development in these industries and then accumulated technical capabilities. Secondly, we have fully upstream and downstream sectors domestically, vast markets, and numerous human resources. Therefore, we have this comprehensive competitiveness or these advantages. However, for specific companies, this also means that they are founded in full competition but can also go bankrupt. Many renewable energy companies in China have also gone bankrupt due to lack of technical capabilities. Therefore, we say that the advantages of this industry in China are achieved because we have genuine skills, not through government subsidies. That is why we are willing to realise cooperation for mutual benefit through fair competition.”
Scholz began his comments discussing Ukraine. He said “China has a prominent responsibility for world peace, and China's word carries weight in Russia. That's why I asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his insane campaign, withdraws his troops and ends this terrible war.” He added “we have agreed on a few key points. President Xi and I agreed: Preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity are necessary foundations for a sustainable peace order. We also agreed: China and Germany want to support and encourage efforts for peace in Ukraine. We are prepared to continue to coordinate intensively and positively on promoting the hosting of a high-level conference in Switzerland and future international peace conferences in this context.”
Among the many things that Scholz said on the situation in the Middle East, such as criticizing Iran and Hamas, he also emphasized that: “The recent United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728 must be enforced. For Germany, the priority is to quickly reach a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. President Xi and I see the two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for Israelis and Palestinians. We call together to ensure safe commercial shipping, particularly in the Red Sea, in accordance with international law.”
On economic ties, he said that “We do not want a decoupling of China. We want China to continue to be economically successful…For us, in Germany and Europe, it is about reducing one-sided dependencies, diversifying our supply chains and reducing risks to the economy - a goal that China itself has been pursuing for some time. This means we want to increase our resilience in critical areas by deepening existing economic relationships and fostering new connections.”
On human rights, do note this by Scholz: “Our supply chain law also takes into account the situation of human rights worldwide and is there to ensure that they are given greater consideration.”
At the end of his trip, Scholz held a press briefing. When asked about Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine through provision of dual-use goods, he said that this was discussed. He added: “there can be no misunderstanding about how we see things. And I am convinced that this also has significance.” Basically, there doesn’t seem to be any headway made in this regard.
On Page 2, there is a commentary on China-Germany ties. Some of the key points that it makes are:
History and facts have proven that the all-round strategic partnership is the ‘necessary option’ and the ‘optimal solution’ for China-Germany relations. 历史和事实证明，全方位战略伙伴关系是中德关系的“必选项”、“最优解”.
China and Germany are deeply involved in each other's development and both benefit from it. Pragmatic cooperation the ‘foundation/underlying principle’ guiding the China-Germany relationship. 中德两国深度参与对方发展并都从中受益，务实合作始终是中德关系的“底色”.
“Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economic recovery and rising protectionism, German investment in China has risen against the trend, with thousands of German companies and institutions active in the Chinese market. This once again demonstrates that mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a "risk" but rather a guarantee of stable bilateral relations and an opportunity to create the future.” 在世界经济复苏乏力、保护主义抬头的背景下，德国对华投资逆势上涨，数千家德国企业和机构活跃在中国市场，再次表明中德互利合作不是“风险”，而是双方关系稳定的保障、开创未来的机遇。
“China and Germany have a lot in common on the issue of world multipolarity, and both support the promotion of globalization and international cooperation. President Xi Jinping said that multipolarity should essentially mean mutual respect and peaceful coexistence between countries with different civilizations, systems, and paths. China and Germany should independently carry out multilateral cooperation, promote the international community to use practical actions to better respond to global challenges, such as climate change, unbalanced development, and regional conflicts, and make more contributions to the balance and stability of the world. During this visit, the leaders of China and Germany reached consensus on issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which will help inject more stability and certainty into an intertwined and chaotic world. 中德在世界多极化问题上有不少共通之处，且都支持推进全球化和国际合作。习近平主席表示，多极化本质上应该是不同文明、不同制度、不同道路的国家之间相互尊重、和平共处。中德应该独立自主开展多边领域协作，推动国际社会用实际行动更好应对气候变化、发展不平衡、地区冲突等全球性挑战，为世界的平衡稳定作出更多贡献。此次中德领导人在乌克兰危机、巴以冲突等问题上达成共识，有助于为变乱交织的世界注入更多稳定性和确定性。
“There is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and Germany and they do not pose a security threat to each other. Sino-German cooperation is beneficial to both sides and beneficial to the world. Both sides should cherish and inherit the valuable experience in the development of bilateral relations, continuously enhance understanding and trust, deepen practical cooperation…” 中德之间没有根本利益冲突，彼此不构成安全威胁。中德合作对双方有利，对世界有利。双方应珍惜和传承两国关系发展的宝贵经验，不断增进理解信任，深化务实合作，为中德全方位战略伙伴关系发展注入新动力，为促进世界和平、稳定、增长作出更大贡献.
Also on the page is a brief report (English report) on He Lifeng meeting with the visiting German business delegation.
Moving on from Scholz’s visit, the other relevant story on the page is about the Q1 economic data. I covered this yesterday. Finally, there’s a report informing that the next NPCSC session will be held from April 23 to 26. Some of the key items on the agenda are:
Reviewing the draft Academic Degrees Law
Reviewing the draft law on tariffs
Reviewing the draft revision of the National Defense Education Law
Reviewing draft revisions to law on National Defense Education
Reviewing draft revision to the Anti–Money Laundering Law
Reviewing draft amendments to the Accounting Law
Reviewing draft amendment to the Statistics Law
Reviewing the draft Energy Law
Reviewing the draft Atomic Energy Law
Reviewing bills concerning two treaties on judicial assistance in criminal affairs between China and Mauritius and between China and Nepal
Reviewing two extradition treaties respectively between China and Senegal and between China and Greece
Review of the State Council's report on the environmental status and completion of environmental protection goals in 2023
Page 2: There’s a brief report informing that Wang Yi will visit Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea, starting tomorrow.
Another report informs that the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Australia-China Business Council jointly hosted a China-Australia business seminar in Sydney on Monday. Ren Hongbin, from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, talked about promoting “pragmatic cooperation” between the enterprises of the two countries in “traditional domains” energy and minerals and “emerging fields such as green development, digital economy, technological innovation, and health.” In terms of outcomes:
The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and the Australian International Commercial Arbitration Center signed a cooperation agreement.
China International Exhibition Center Group Co., Ltd. and four Australian companies signed letters of intent to participate in the SecondChina International Supply Chain Expo.
The Guizhou Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Hainan Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade signed an MOU with the New South Wales branch of the Australia-China Business Council.
活动期间，中国国际经济贸易仲裁委员会与澳大利亚国际商事仲裁中心签署合作协议。中国国际展览中心集团有限公司与四家澳大利亚企业签署第二届中国国际供应链促进博览会参展意向书。贵州省贸促会和海南省贸促会与澳中工商业委员会新南威尔士州分会签署合作谅解备忘录。
China-US Dialogue
Although it is not in the paper today, do note this meeting between China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Yang Tao, Director-General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran.
“The two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive communication on advancing China-U.S. dialogue and cooperation in various fields and properly managing differences, had an exchange of views on the Middle East issue, Ukraine issue, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and other international and regional hotspot issues, and agreed to continue to implement the San Francisco Vision and maintain exchanges at all levels, to further stabilize and develop China-U.S. relations. The Chinese side has set forth solemn positions on the U.S.'s recent move to push for the Indo-Pacific Strategy against China and its erroneous words and actions related to China taken in China's neighborhood, in particular its attempts to build a circle of the United States, Japan and the Philippines and its disturbance of the situation in the South China Sea. China urged the U.S. side not to engage in bloc confrontation and undermine peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese side made clear its position on Taiwan, trade, science and technology, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and other issues, urging the U.S. side to stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop impeding China's development, stop imposing unreasonable sanctions on Chinese enterprises and stop suppressing China's trade, science and technology.”
The US readout says:
“The two sides had in-depth, candid and constructive discussions…The visit builds on recent high-level diplomacy with the PRC to manage areas of difference as well as areas of cooperation, while reducing the risk of miscalculation. The two sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the Middle East, PRC support for Russia’s defense industrial base, cross-Strait issues, the South China Sea, and the DPRK. The United States emphasized its commitment to advancing its interests and values and those of its allies and partners.”
“Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink and Senior Director Beran also met with Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director Qiu Kaiming to discuss cross-Strait issues. The Assistant Secretary and Senior Director underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and reiterated there has been no change to the U.S. one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.”
Also note that for the first time, US Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin had an online face-to-face dialogue with China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun.
The Chinese readout says:
Dong “underscored that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, which brook no compromise. The Chinese People's Liberation Army stands firm against any activities seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ or external support for such separatist actions, Dong said. Noting the overall stability in the South China Sea situation, Dong urged the United States to recognize China's firm stance and take practical actions to uphold regional peace, as well as the stability of relations between the two countries and militaries.”
The DoD’s readout says:
“‘[Austin] … underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law — especially in the South China Sea — and reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly, wherever international law allows,’ Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing. The secretary reiterated that the U.S. remains committed to its One China Policy, which is guided by the Three Joint Communiques, the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. Austin also discussed Russia's unprovoked invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine, as well as concerns about recent provocations from North Korea, Ryder said.”
Do note this timeline of mil-to-mil talks since December, provided in the DoD report.
On Dec. 21, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., met virtually with his Chinese military counterpart, People's Liberation Army Gen. Liu Zhenli.
In January, senior U.S. and Chinese defense officials gathered for two days at the Pentagon to discuss defense relations between the two countries.
In April, U.S. and Chinese officials met for working-level talks aimed at ensuring professional and safe interactions between the two countries' air and naval forces.
Page 3: There’s a report on Zhang Guoqing’s visit to Anhui. In Wuhu and Hefei, Zhang visited companies like EFORT Intelligent Equipment Co Ltd (埃夫特), Chery (奇瑞汽车) and iFlytek (科大讯飞). He said that “promoting the high-quality development of key industrial chains is very important in order to enhance the resilience and safety level of industrial and supply chains and enhance the core competitiveness of the manufacturing industry”. 他指出，推动重点产业链高质量发展，对增强产业链供应链韧性和安全水平、提升制造业核心竞争力十分重要.
He added: “It is necessary to grasp the characteristics of AI development, coordinate the layout of general large models and vertical large models, vigorously develop intelligent products and equipment, promote the transformation and application of innovative achievements in key industrial chains, and promote deep integration of AI and manufacturing. It is necessary to improve the technical standard system of key industrial chains, guide the coordinated development of large, medium, and small enterprises, support various types of resources to converge towards key industrial chains, and build a sound industrial ecosystem.” 要把握人工智能发展特点，统筹布局通用大模型和垂直大模型，大力发展智能产品和智能装备，推动创新成果在重点产业链转化应用，促进人工智能和制造业深度融合。要健全重点产业链技术标准体系，引导大中小企业协同发展，支持各类要素资源向重点产业链集聚，构建良好产业生态.
Page 7: A report informing that the World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum was held on Tuesday in Xi'an. Xinhua reports that the forum focussed on topics like digital connectivity, Silk Road cooperation, international Silk Road e-commerce cooperation, digital villages and sustainable development..
Wang Yong spoke at the event. He said that “to bring the construction of a cyberspace community with a shared future to a new stage, China also hopes to deepen cooperation on digital technology innovation, strengthen digital cultural exchanges and mutual understanding, and work with all parties to create a set of digital governance rules.”
Page 10: Two reports offer useful data points on how post-COVID normalcy and speed is returning. First, China’s civil aviation authorities note that in Q1, passenger trips reached around 180 million, surging 37% year on year and 10% compared to the same period in 2019. Cargo transport hit 2.01 million tonnes, up 34.4% year on year and 19.6% compared to the same period in 2019. Second, China's railways carried more than 1 billion passengers in Q1. the average daily number of passenger trips reached 11.15 million, up 28.5% year on year.
Page 15: There is a Zhong Sheng commentary today, discussing the recent US, Japan and Philippines summit meeting. One of the key sections of the joint statement that was issued after that summit is as follows:
“We express our serious concerns about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. We are also concerned by the militarization of reclaimed features and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea. We steadfastly oppose the dangerous and coercive use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, as well as efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation. We reiterate serious concern over the PRC’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas Shoal, which constitute dangerous and destabilizing conduct. The final and legally binding July 12, 2016 Arbitral Tribunal determined that this feature lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, and we call on the PRC to abide by the ruling.
We express our serious concerns regarding the situation in the East China Sea, and reiterate our strong opposition to any attempts by the PRC to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea, including through actions that seek to undermine Japan’s longstanding and peaceful administration of the Senkaku Islands.
We affirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity, recognize that there is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
We welcome recent cooperation among our three nations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific and commit to deepening that cooperation. The U.S. and Japan continue to support Philippine Coast Guard capacity building, including through Japan’s recent provision of twelve Coast Guard vessels and plans to provide five additional vessels to the Philippines. Following the first-ever joint exercise between our coast guards in 2023, the United States looks forward to welcoming Philippine and Japan Coast Guard members onto a U.S. Coast Guard vessel during a patrol in the Indo-Pacific this year. Within the next year, our coast guards also plan to conduct an at-sea trilateral exercise and other maritime activities in the Indo-Pacific to improve interoperability and advance maritime security and safety. We announce the establishment of a trilateral maritime dialogue to enhance coordination and collective responses to promote maritime cooperation. We are concerned about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. We support the ability of Filipino and Japanese fisherfolk to pursue their traditional livelihoods. To build regional capacity and address threats posed by transnational crime, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and other maritime challenges, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States plan to expand our efforts to provide maritime law enforcement training and support to partner countries in the region.”
Our three nations pledge to strengthen our extensive coordination to promote maritime domain awareness and deepen cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. We emphasize our commitment to advancing multilateral maritime domain awareness cooperation through such venues as the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). We intend to identify and implement opportunities for combined training with Southeast Asian regional partners. We are also launching a Japan-Philippines-U.S. humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise, which could be integrated into trilateral or multilateral activities, including Balikatan 2025, to ensure our countries are ready and able to work together seamlessly and expeditiously in response to any crisis or contingency. We resolve to advance trilateral defense cooperation, including through combined naval training and exercises between our three countries and additional partners, such as the recently concluded Maritime Cooperative Activity between Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and Australia, and by coordinating U.S. and Japanese support for Philippine defense modernization priorities. We plan to conduct a maritime training activity around Japan in 2025. Japan also continues to contribute through its new ‘Official Security Assistance’ cooperation framework. The U.S. and the Philippines welcome Japan’s revision of the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and its Implementation Guidelines, which bolsters cooperation through joint development and production to enhance our deterrence capabilities in the region. The U.S. and Japan also welcome the growing defense cooperation between Australia and the Philippines and between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.”
So today, the Zhong Sheng commentary says that the summit’s outcomes are “completely inconsistent with the US's previous public statement that the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit and US-Japan-Philippines cooperation are ‘not targeted at China’. The US, Japan, and the Philippines intend to form a closed and exclusive ‘small circle’, manipulate group politics, create conflicts and confrontations, damage the strategic security and interests of other countries, and pose serious risks to regional peace and stability.” 这同美方此前公开声明的此次美日菲三边峰会和美日菲合作“不针对中国”完全不符。美日菲意图组建封闭排他“小圈子”，操弄集团政治，制造矛盾对抗，损害他国战略安全和利益，给地区和平稳定带来严重风险.
On Taiwan, it says that this is an “internal issue” for China. “The biggest threat to peace across the Taiwan Strait at present is the separatist activities of ‘Taiwan independence’ and the connivance and support of external forces. Relevant countries talk a lot about ‘peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait’ but never mention opposing ‘Taiwan independence’. This only emboldens the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and is not conducive to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” 台湾问题纯属中国内政，解决台湾问题是中国自己的事情，不容他人置喙。当前台海和平的最大威胁是“台独”分裂行径和外部势力对其纵容支持。有关国家高谈“台海和平与稳定”，却绝口不提反对“台独”，只会助长“台独”势力气焰，不利于维护台海和平稳定.
The article reiterates China’s “indisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, its affiliated islands and the South China Sea Islands”. And stresses that China will never accept “baseless accusations and malicious smears”.
“For some time, there has been a rise in tensions in the South China Sea. The root cause for this is that some politicians in the Philippines have ignored the interests of the country and the people, have been emboldened by seeking the support of extra-regional actors and continuously provoke incidents by exploiting issues such as the Ren'ai Reef. Although the Philippines side has tried its best to disguise itself as a ‘victim’, it cannot conceal its true intentions of provocation and troublemaking. The Philippine side continues to spread false information and sensationalize, refuses to tow away the illegally ‘grounded’ warship on the Ren'ai Reef, categorically denies the commitments it has made, arbitrarily disavows the internal/mutual understanding (内部谅解) reached between the current government and China on the issue of the Ren’ai Reef, and insists on shipping construction materials to the illegally ‘grounded’ warship in an attempt to carry out large-scale maintenance and reinforcement, so as to realize permanent occupation of the Ren’ai Reef.” 一段时间以来，南海局势有所升温，根源在于菲律宾一些政客置国家和人民利益于不顾，拉域外国家撑腰壮胆，不断借仁爱礁等问题生事挑衅。尽管菲方极力将自己伪装成“受害者”，但这掩盖不了其挑衅滋事的真面目。菲方持续散布虚假信息、渲染炒作，拒不拖走仁爱礁非法“坐滩”军舰，矢口否认自身所做承诺，随意抛弃本届政府同中方就仁爱礁问题达成的内部谅解，执意向仁爱礁非法“坐滩”军舰运送建筑材料，企图大规模维修加固，以实现对仁爱礁的永久占领。
“The actions of the Philippines infringe on China's sovereignty and violate the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, especially Article 5, which stipulates that no settlement activities will be carried out on uninhabited islands and reefs. China will never accept the Philippines’ unreasonable provocation and will resolutely block it in accordance with the law and regulations to safeguard China's sovereignty and the seriousness of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.” 菲方行为侵犯中国主权，违反《南海各方行为宣言》，特别是第五条关于不在无人岛礁采取居住行为的规定。对于菲方的无理挑衅，中方绝不可能接受，必然坚决依法依规予以拦阻，以维护中国主权和《南海各方行为宣言》的严肃性.
The next paragraph says:
“The recent escalation of tensions in the South China Sea and the interference and intervention of forces outside the region are also closely related. Out of geo-strategic considerations, the US has been fanning the flames, stirring up discord and inciting confrontation. It has even formed cliques to conduct so-called joint patrols and military exercises in the South China Sea, out of the fear that there would be no chaos in the South China Sea. Japan is not a directly involved party in the South China Sea issue, but deliberately intervenes in the issue to fulfill its own expansionist agenda, fully exposing the danger of its strategic direction. To whitewash their actions that undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, these external actors frequently bring up the so-called South China Sea arbitration case initiated by the Philippines.” The article then calls the 2016 ruling “illegal and invalid” and says that China does not accept or recognize it. 近期南海局势升温和域外势力的插手介入同样脱不了干系。美方出于地缘战略考虑，不断煽风点火、挑拨是非、怂恿对抗，还拉帮结派在南海搞所谓联合巡航、军演，唯恐南海不乱。日本不是南海问题当事国，为了实现自身对外扩张而蓄意插手南海问题，充分暴露其战略走向的危险性。为了美化包装自身损害南海和平稳定的行为，这些域外国家频频拿所谓菲律宾南海仲裁案说事。众所周知，所谓仲裁庭违背“国家同意”原则，越权审理、枉法裁判，严重违反《联合国海洋法公约》和一般国际法，所作裁决是非法的、无效的。中方不接受、不承认该裁决及任何基于该裁决的单方面行动，正是为了维护《联合国海洋法公约》的权威性和完整性。近来，越来越多的东盟国家和菲律宾国内有识之士发出理性声音，反对域外国家在南海搬弄是非、升级事态，认为“跟随美国去偏袒或者敌对一个国家，这是错误的”。
The article ends by calling on the Philippines to “abide by the relevant understandings and consensus reached between China and the Philippines, abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, stop infringements and provocations, stop soliciting extra regional forces to intervene in South China Sea affairs and return to dialogue and negotiation…” 中方希望菲方遵守中菲之间达成的有关谅解和共识，遵守《南海各方行为宣言》的规定，停止侵权挑衅行径，停止拉拢域外势力介入南海事务，回到通过谈判协商妥善管控局势的正确轨道上来，为维护南海和平稳定承担应尽责任.
Also on the page is this MoFA warning to the UK
“China Review News: On April 15, the UK government issued “Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong: July to December 2023” to criticize Hong Kong affairs. What’s China’s comments?
Lin Jian: The UK’s so-called report ignores facts and calls white black. It is a blatant interference in Hong Kong affairs which are China’s internal affairs and violation of the principles of international law and basic norms in international relations. China deplores and firmly opposes it. Since the return of Hong Kong, the central government has fully, faithfully and firmly implemented the principles of One Country, Two Systems, Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy. The Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Safeguarding National Security Ordinance have given Hong Kong a strong shield for national security. Thanks to the national security legislation, Hong Kong residents’ rights and freedoms granted by law are under better protection. They also enjoy a stronger sense of gain, happiness and security. Hong Kong is better positioned than ever to fully focus on economic growth, its stature as an international financial, shipping and trade center will be further consolidated and its development outlook will be even brighter. Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s domestic affair. It’s been 27 years since Hong Kong’s return and the UK must respect that fact. The UK also needs to stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs and stop being a haven to the people who sought to undermine China’s national security and stability in Hong Kong.”