Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on April 17, 2026

CCTV: We've learned that recently a military plane of the New Zealand air force repeatedly flew near China's airspace. Quite a few civil aviation flights were disrupted. What's China's comment?

Guo Jiakun: A P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the New Zealand air force recently conducted repeated close-in reconnaissance and harassment in the airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The action undermined China's security interests, increased risks of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and gravely disrupted the order of civil aviation in relevant airspace. China has responded in a resolute manner and lodged serious protests with New Zealand.

China urges New Zealand to abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, respect China's sovereignty and security concerns and maintain the safety and order of civil aviation.

China-Arab TV: The Chinese embassy in Japan has received several terrorist threats. Only one week after the break-in incident, an individual claiming to be a reserve member of the Self-Defense Forces issued an online threat to the embassy, claiming that a remotely controlled bomb had been planted inside the premises. Discriminatory cases targeting Chinese nationals in Japan have also increased. What is China's response?

Guo Jiakun: Recent years have seen incessant harassment and provocations targeting Chinese missions in Japan, most notably the string of grave offenses that happened recently, including the break-in of the embassy by a sitting SDF officer carrying a knife. The recurrence of this kind of egregious incidents reveals multiple deep-seated issues in today's Japan: the worsening right-wing impact and the suppression of objective and rational voices, the toxicity of the Japanese government's erroneous policies on vital issues concerning China-Japan relations such as history and Taiwan, the serious lack of education on true history, the pervasive erroneous historical views, the ongoing push for a more offensive, expansionist and dangerous defense policy and failure in supervising the SDF and maintaining discipline inside the forces.

How to fundamentally address the issue and remove its breeding ground in the Japanese society deserves serious pondering by those with insights in Japan. Soft-pedaling such incidents and even distracting attention from them or spreading disinformation will only lead to more such incidents with even more dreadful consequences, and put more Japanese people under its harmful impact. The malevolent emergence of neo-militarism in Japan could also threaten peace and stability in the region. We once again urge the Japanese side to reflect on and correct its policy and behavior, conduct a thorough probe and take full responsibility for the incident. 

Telesur: The United States government recently announced an easing of sanctions on Venezuela's public banking system, while simultaneously maintaining restrictions that exclude transactions with entities linked to Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba as well as companies controlled by the People's Republic of China. What is China's position regarding such measures and their potential impact on financial and economic cooperation between China and Venezuela?

Guo Jiakun: China opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council and rejects abuse of long-arm jurisdiction. China-Venezuela cooperation is protected by international law and the laws of both countries. China's lawful rights and interests in Venezuela must be protected.

Global Times: Today, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel entered the Taiwan Strait. What's China's comment?

Guo Jiakun: The Chinese military has handled the entry of the Japanese SDF vessel in accordance with laws and regulations. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have already severely impacted China-Japan relations. The Japanese side is compounding the wrongdoing by sending the Self-Defense Force vessel into the Taiwan Strait to flex its muscles and deliberately provoke China. It exposes the dangerous attempts of certain people in Japan to conduct armed intervention and undermine the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This action severely undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations and threatens China's sovereignty and security. China firmly opposes it and has lodged strong protest against Japan.

The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the political foundation of China-Japan relations. It is a red line that must not be crossed. China urges the Japanese side to do serious soul-searching on its wrongdoings, return to the right track at once, exercise prudence in its words and actions, and stop going further down the wrong path.

Telesur: Next Sunday, April 19, various countries around the world will celebrate the Cuban victory in the Bay of Pigs invasion and denounce the current intensification of the U.S. blockade. China has not only expressed solidarity with Cuba verbally, but also provided concrete support, such as energy assistance and support for its food security. According to U.S. media report, this week, the Pentagon is preparing for a possible military operation in Cuba. What is the position of the Chinese government in the face of this threat for the Cuban people?

Guo Jiakun: China stands resolutely against violation of other countries' sovereignty and security through the use of force. We firmly support Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty and opposing external interference.

Reuters: In light of the global fuel supply shock, has China sent out any relief shipments to Pacific Island nations, or does China plan to? Have any of the Pacific Island nations reached out to China for such help, considering they are some of the most dependent on energy imports?

Guo Jiakun: The situation in the Middle East has caused a crisis in global fuel supply, because of a war that should not have happened. The pressing priority now is to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting and prevent any further turmoil that could hit global energy security more badly. China stands ready to maintain communication with all sides to jointly safeguard global energy security.

AFP: A 10-day ceasefire deal struck between Lebanon and Israel has taken effect today. It's part of Washington's efforts to reach a deal to end its war with Iran. The Lebanese army has warned of a number of violations to the ceasefire. How does China view this truce today?

Guo Jiakun: China welcomes all efforts conducive to ending the conflict. We hope parties will maintain the momentum of ceasefire and negotiation and resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, which is the responsible thing to do.

AFP: Indonesia is considering a proposal to allow the United States overflight access in its airspace. This is according to an Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson yesterday. So how does China's foreign ministry view this proposal and military links between Washington and Jakarta?

Guo Jiakun: The ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia stipulate clearly that Member States shall act in accordance with the principles of collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity as well as abstention from participation in any policy or activity, including the use of its territory, which threatens the sovereignty or territorial integrity of ASEAN Member States. The Indonesian side has also stated that it will conduct defense cooperation with other countries on the basis of respect, sovereignty, mutual trust and mutual benefit. China always believes that defense and security cooperation between states should not target any third party or harm the interests of any third party; nor should such cooperation undermine regional peace and stability.