Thread by @StephenMcDonell

The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s annual, highly-controlled press conference starts in about 10 minutes. #China facing massive global challenges but, with only screened questions permitted, no guarantee that any decent questions will be allowed at all.

Unfortunately due to the high volume of Communist Party sponsored/encouraged troll attacks in recent times I’m limiting who can respond to this thread. I’m sorry to impose this on normal people out there with genuine questions but until @Twitter fixes this it’ll be happening more

Due to #coronavirus restrictions Wang Yi’s annual NPC press conference will, for the second year in a row, be done remotely. He will be at the Great Hall of the People and a selection of approved journalists will ask questions from a media centre in another part of #Beijing.

Question 1 from CCTV: How would you describe #China’s diplomacy over the past year? What highlights could we expect this year? [Yes that’s actually the first question. There will be more like this.]

Q2. Russia TASS: What impact has the #coronavirus pandemic had on #China #Russia relations? [answer we're great friends etc]

Q3. People's Daily: The Communist Party's leadership is the soul of China’s diplomacy, how should we consider the Communist Party leadership at the heart of Chinese diplomacy? [Yes. That was an actual question]

Q4. Middle East News Agency (never heard of them): How is China helping African countries address the covid outbreak?

Q5. HK China Review News Agency (??): What's your response to foreign countries criticising #China over the changed to the electoral system there? (Answer: Hong Kong is part of China, it's perfectly legal etc)

Q6. Ways of improving China-#US relations? Q7. (from CGTN) What are your thoughts on the 50th anniversary of #China resuming it's seat at the UN?

Re #US he said Washington has caused trouble by interfering in other countries but #China willing to communicate with the #USA but #US must remove “unreasonable” restrictions.

Q8: from AFP. Is China worried about Europe and US getting back together post Trump? Q9: Others say China is engaging in vaccine diplomacy. Is it? Q 10. China-Arab TV question re China engagement with the Middle East.

Q11 from Xinhua: President Xi has made two landmark speeches about multilateralism. They have been widely praised. What's your view of them?

Q12 from "Lianhe Zaobao": As China's rise continues some have predicted conflict with the west. What do you think. [A: He thinks the west needs to respect China more.]

Q13 from Shenzhen Satellite TV: What's your view of this the 20th anniversary of #China joining the WTO?

Q14 from Kyodo: #Japan and #China relations were improving but then China introduced a coast guard law...? (A the coast guard law is just a normal piece of law not targeting anyone)

Q15 Global Times: Some western countries have spoken about "genocide" in #Xinjiang what do you say? [A: when he thinks of genocide he thinks of native Americans, slaves in the #US and aborigines in #Australia etc. He says there is no ill treatment but prosperity in Xinjiang]

Q16 Indonesia's Antara: What makes #China's relationship with #Indonesia and ASEAN so great? [Yes this was also a real question]

Q17 Phoenix: Potential for Taiwan to cause #US #China conflict? [A: "There is no room for compromise or concession on Taiwan"]

Q18 Kazakhstan TV: How has the coronavirus impacting the Belt and Road? [A: the Belt and Road charges on regardless]

Q19 Beijing Daily: China envisions a new development pathway? [A: This is a way of #China having high quality development]

Q20 Indian press: #India #China relations have hit a dead end. How do you see the prospects of peace, especially at the border? (Good question) [A: #China & #India friends not rivals... re the border dispute the "rights and wrongs" are clear, initiating conflict not way forward]

Q21 "China news service": The Foreign Ministry has done a great job this year looking after Chinese people overseas. What other initiatives are there for this year?

Q22 Italy Ansa news agency: How can China, US and Europe cooperate on climate change? [A: There is only one mother earth and defending it is a call we must all answer... We should step up coordination; welcome #US return to Paris accord etc]

Q23 CRI (again. Actually not many foreign press there): Path forward for Iran nukes and US? [A: #US broke its promise by pulling out of the process but has now returned. It should stop this long arm jurisdiction stuff.
Us and Iran can move together step by step]

Q24 Singapore straits times: How boost relations with neighbours?

Q25 The Paper: The Chinese Government has maintained a non-intervention in Myanmar's affairs policy. Does it still have that? [A: Relative parties should maintain dialogue and resolve problem within the constitution etc. The immediate priority reduce bloodshed...] cont

#Myanmar continued... [A: as #Myanmar is a member of #ASEAN we maintain the ASEAN policy of non-interference in other countries internal affairs. There should be mediation and a move to seek common ground...]

26. Cuba News Agency: How can #China help Latin America and the Caribbean overcome covid?

Q27. The last question a journalist from the China Daily actually got up and said he was asking a question on behalf of "netizens" [Wang Yi then responded that is was great to have the "netizens" involved in the press conference]. His question was about the evil foreign media..

The China Daily (err I mean "netizens" question) was along the lines of given how biased the foreign media is reporting China could there be another Edgar Snow in their ranks today? (Snow spent time with the Red Army when it was still a guerilla force in the 1930s met Mao etc)...

After talking about Snow, Wang Yi lectured the foreign press about "professional ethics" and even repeated the ridiculous bit of deliberate misinformation that journalists had been "applying filters to their cameras" to make China look bad. Amazing.

BTW with this last answer it's a kind of metaphor, like seeing the world with rose coloured glasses etc but he's speaking about "lenses" after waves of state-sponsored propaganda directed towards the BBC using what's actually a lie about special "filters" to make #China look bad.

One thing to consider with the Foreign Minister's annual staged press event is that, since the questions are all screened, they're all questions that he wants to answer. The answers are all rehearsed so the message from the day is the message which the government wants to get out

So, some highlights of what #China's Foreign Minister wanted to say:
1. It's an "absurd" notion that there has been "genocide" in #Xinjiang. In fact he said these were "rumours with ulterior motives".

2. That the #US has been "bringing chaos in the name of spreading democracy". That #Beijing has no room at all for compromise with #Washington regarding #Taiwan but that China and the US can cooperate on say climate change if the #USA removes "barriers to cooperation".

3. That #Beijing would maintain its policy of non-interference in #Myanmar's internal affairs despite the military coup there. He called for dialogue there.

4. Re changes to #HongKong's electoral system which will effectively wipe out any official opposition there he said they were lawful, just and reasonable.

5. That #China had offered to help the IOC with vaccines for athletes at the coming Olympic events.