On July 4, local time, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with French Foreign Minister Barrow in Paris and answered questions on the spot.
In response to reporters' views on the Iranian nuclear issue and the current situation in the Middle East, Wang Yi said that the Iranian nuclear issue could have become a model for dialogue and consultation to resolve international disputes, but now it is triggering a new round of crisis in the Middle East. Although the world has heard the knock on the door of peace, it has finally failed to push open the door of peace. China deeply regrets this, and the lessons learned need profound reflection.
Wang Yi said that China has a clear and consistent position on the Iran nuclear issue. We value the repeated public commitments of Iran's supreme leader to Iran will not develop nuclear weapons, and we also respect Iran's right to peacefully use nuclear energy as a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. On this basis, the parties concerned can speed up negotiations on new international agreements to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue and place Iran's nuclear activities completely under the strict supervision and guarantees of the International Atomic Energy Agency. I would like to emphasize that the road to peace is at our feet and that history will question the sincerity of all parties.
Wang Yi said that the recent military conflict between Israel and Iran should not repeat itself. The war cannot solve the Iranian nuclear issue, and preemptive strikes obviously lack legitimacy. The indiscriminate use of force will only trigger greater conflicts and accumulate more hatred. The United States' brazen bombing of a sovereign state's nuclear facilities set a bad precedent. If a nuclear disaster is triggered, the whole world will pay for it. The so-called "firm first and then peace" is the logic of power. If we only judge right or wrong by strength, what are the rules? Where is the axiom? Strength cannot bring true peace, and it is likely to open the "Pandora's box". How can countries that lack strength, especially small and medium-sized countries, deal with themselves? Can they be served on the dining table and be slaughtered?
Wang Yi stressed that the real solution to the Iranian nuclear issue cannot avoid the core of the Middle East issue, that is, the Palestinian issue. The humanitarian disaster in Gaza should not continue, the Palestinian issue cannot be marginalized again, the legitimate demands of the Arab nation should be fulfilled as soon as possible, and the just voice of the vast Islamic world must be taken seriously. The "two-state solution" is the only realistic way out to break the chaos in the Middle East, and the international community should take more practical and effective actions to do this.
Wang Yi said that China and France are both permanent members of the UN Security Council. They should uphold justice, take responsibility, support resolving conflicts through dialogue and negotiation, oppose any double-standard practices, and determine their own position and policies based on the right and wrong of the matter. The United Nations and its Security Council should play their due role in peace. China is willing to work with the French side to make unremitting efforts to this end. (Reporters of General Station He Junqiang and Zhang Yunfan)
