Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on August 26, 2026
CCTV: China announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the 2026 SCO Summit. What message does China hope to convey?
Lin Jian: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO. Over the past 25 years, member states have upheld the Shanghai Spirit, worked in solidarity and coordination, and deepened all-round cooperation. The SCO has grown into a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the biggest area and population with enormous development potential, successfully explored a new type of regional cooperation, and set an example of a new type of international relations.
Last year’s SCO Summit in Tianjin provided strategic planning on the development of the SCO for the next decade, and opened up a new stage of high-quality development of the organization. At this year’s summit in Bishkek, President Xi Jinping will have in-depth exchanges of views with participating leaders on deepening SCO cooperation in various fields under the new circumstances and major international and regional issues of our times. They will provide guidance for the SCO’s high-quality development and participation in the reform and development of the global governance system. China stands ready to work with various parties to build up consensus and write a new chapter of cooperation in Bishkek, and contribute to security, stability, development and revitalization of regional countries and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
CGTN: President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt. Could you share with us the arrangement? What’s China’s expectation on growing its ties with the two countries?
Lin Jian: China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, good friends of mutual trust, and good partners with a common pursuit. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 34 years ago, the two countries have been treating each other with good faith and sincerity, setting a stellar example of mutual support and mutual success among neighboring countries. In recent years, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have grown by leaps and bounds, with consolidating political mutual trust, fruitful outcomes in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, numerous highlights of people-to-people exchanges, and close and effective coordination on international occasions. Last year, President Xi Jinping had three meetings with President Japarov, steering China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation into a golden period of rapid development. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, cooperation in key areas, and international and regional situation with President Japarov in their talks, and attend various state events. China looks forward to working with Kyrgyzstan to take this visit as an opportunity to promote high-quality development of mutually beneficial cooperation on all fronts, add new dimensions to the China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future, and bring more benefits to the two peoples.
Egypt is the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with New China. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President El-Sisi, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in cooperation across various fields, and engaged in increasingly frequent people-to-people exchanges and close and effective coordination on multilateral occasions. China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership has grown by leaps and bounds, and been at its best in history, setting a stellar example of solidarity, collaboration and mutual benefit among developing countries. This visit marks President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to Egypt in 10 years. As we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Egypt diplomatic relations, this visit carries great significance in building on the past achievements and charting the future. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will hold talks with President El-Sisi. They will have an in-depth exchange of views on China-Egypt relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. Through the visit, China looks forward to working with Egypt to carry forward traditional friendship, render each other firm support, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and bolster each other’s modernization, so that we can jointly draw a new chapter of China-Egypt relations and make positive contributions to peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Bloomberg: Following Scott Bessent’s public comments on the so-called “Economic D-Day” regarding sanctions on Iran and its trading partners, has there been any communication between the U.S. and the Chinese side on this matter? And if so, can you provide any additional details?
Lin Jian: I have no information to share at the moment.
Bloomberg: Chinese authorities are urging Chinese citizens in Eswatini to evacuate, and urging others not to visit the country, citing local security and scamming concerns. Can you elaborate a little bit on some of the thinking behind this advisory? Could you also tell me how many Chinese citizens roughly live in Eswatini?
Lin Jian: Eswatini is faced with a complex security situation with rampant telecom fraud and online gambling and extremely high safety risks. Issuing travel advisories is a common practice worldwide. Committed to a people-centered approach and diplomacy for the people, we will do everything necessary to safeguard the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas.
Bloomberg: Would you be able to give me some examples of other similar travel advisories that China has issued, specifically regarding scamming and related risks? And also, China doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Eswatini. Is that a factor in this advisory or is it unrelated?
Lin Jian: We have issued similar advisories. For this one, I need to stress that given the extremely high safety risks and rampant telecom fraud and online gambling in Eswatini, the Chinese government, for the safety of Chinese nationals, issued the travel advisory after prudent evaluation.
Bloomberg: Going back a little bit to the SCO and also the trips to Egypt by President Xi Jinping. You mentioned that international and regional issues would be on the agendas in both Kyrgyzstan and Egypt. Specifically, can I ask you, how prominent do you think Iran will feature in the discussions? Is there anything a bit more specific you could share about what regional conflicts in particular will be dealt with as part of this trip?
Lin Jian: For more about the visits, we will release readouts in due course. Please stay tuned.
Bloomberg: We know that Canada has matched the tariffs that President Trump set, including 50 percent on items such as dairy and steel. Broadly speaking, is there some kind of opinion or perspective that you could share from the Chinese foreign ministry’s point of view in terms of the actions that Canada or perhaps other countries might take in response to Trump’s tariff war. Is there some advice, for example, or some comments that you can provide?
Lin Jian: China believes that economic and trade concerns should be addressed through dialogue and consultation on an equal footing.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
