At the invitation of the government of Venezuela, President Xi Jinping’s special envoy and Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wang Dongming will attend the inauguration of Venezuela’s President in Caracas on January 10.

At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell will pay an official visit to China from January 11 to 17.

CCTV: African media wrote in their recent report that African countries are pressed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, due to internal and external reasons. However, the consolidation of China-Africa relations within such frameworks as the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and the commitment to sharing the gains of modernization provide a strong foundation for transformative green transition in Africa. Many African countries came up with the idea of “green is gold” by drawing experience from China’s philosophy of “green mountains and lucid waters are mountains of gold and silver.” What’s your comment?

Guo Jiakun: Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to Africa pointed out that China supports Africa’s green development and is committed to working with Africa to advance eco-friendly modernization.

In climate response and the pursuit of green development, China and Africa have always been taking concrete actions as partners. By drawing experience from China’s Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, African countries have launched the Great Green Wall initiative to hold back the Sahara desert. China implemented hundreds of projects in the field of clean energy in Africa. The installed capacity of photovoltaic power plants jointly built by China and Africa totaled over 1.5 gigawatts. China’s juncao technology has been introduced to Africa, becoming a fine example of “small and beautiful” cooperation projects. The cooperation on green technologies, such as wind power, geothermal energy and solar power, has given a strong boost to African countries’ energy transition.

The Beijing Summit of FOCAC in 2024 proposed that China and Africa should jointly advance modernization characterized by six features and the 10 partnership actions, including advancing modernization that is eco-friendly and the Partnership Action for Green Development. Thirty clean energy projects will be launched in Africa, 30 joint laboratories will be established, and the two sides will collaborate on satellite remote sensing and lunar and deep-space exploration. Green development will become another highlight of China-Africa cooperation.

AFP: The Philippines has said that around 400 foreign nationals, many of whom were Chinese, were arrested yesterday in a large-scale raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila. Can the Foreign Ministry comment on this and provide any more details?

Guo Jiakun: I am not familiar with what you mentioned. On fighting telecom fraud, China’s position is consistent and clear.

Global Times: You just announced that Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell will pay an official visit to China. Could you share with us the program of this visit and China’s expectations?

Guo Jiakun: January 20 will mark the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between China and Grenada. We welcome Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell’s official visit to China on this special occasion. President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, Premier Li Qiang will hold a welcoming ceremony and hold talks with Prime Minister Mitchell, and the two of them will jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Chairman Zhao Leji of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress will also meet with the prime minister. The two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. In addition to Beijing, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell will visit Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Grenada is an important country in the Caribbean and an important cooperation partner of China in this region. Over the past two decades since China and Grenada restored diplomatic ties, the two countries have treated each other with mutual respect and on an equal footing, and have understood and supported each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns. Bilateral relations remain sound and steady. China believes that this visit will further cement political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation in various areas, enhance the friendship, and take bilateral relations to a new height.

AFP: Several hundred people demonstrated yesterday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to protest illegal mining in the eastern part of the country where authorities are investigating claims of widespread illicit Chinese involvement. This follows the announcement on Sunday of the arrest of three Chinese nationals who are found in possession of gold bars and large sums of cash. Does China have a comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: I am not aware of the specifics you mentioned. The Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens and companies overseas to strictly observe local laws and regulations.

Kyodo News: It is reported that the Secretary-Generals from Japan’s ruling parties, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, will visit China on January 13 and have exchanges with officials of the Communist Party of China. Could you share with us China’s expectation for this visit?

Guo Jiakun: I would like to refer you to the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC for your specific question. The IDCPC has published information on the 9th Meeting of the China-Japan Ruling Party Exchange Mechanism. Party exchange is an important component of China-Japan relations. China values the dialogue with Japanese political parties, both ruling and opposition, as well as individuals from all walks of life, as part of the effort to jointly bring China-Japan relations forward. 

The Paper: We noted that, in the past few days, several foreign enterprises announced to increase their input in China. A Japanese automaker announced to set up EV production factory in China. A German automaker has reached significant cooperation agreement with a Chinese automaker. A French pharmaceutical company is going to set up a new production base in China. The Malaysian department store group is undergoing renewal and upgrade in China