The Paper: The Chinese side has announced that First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban President Díaz-Canel will soon visit China. Could you share with us the program and China’s expectations for this visit? How does China view the current China-Cuba relations?

Mao Ning: Cuba was the first country in the Western hemisphere and Latin America and the Caribbean to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. China and Cuba are each other’s good friends, good comrades and good brothers who trust each other and share weal and woe. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 62 years ago, despite international vicissitudes, China and Cuba have forged ahead together on the path of building socialism with national characteristics, supported each other on issues concerning core interests and had close coordination on international and regional issues, setting an exemplary model for solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries and sincere mutual assistance between developing countries.

President Díaz-Canel will be the first head of state from a country in Latin America and the Caribbean that China receives after it held the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. We are confident that President Díaz-Canel’s visit will inject new impetus into the development of China-Cuba relations and boost new progress in our traditional friendship and friendly cooperation.

CCTV: President Xi Jinping returned to China last weekend after attending the 17th G20 Summit and the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and visiting Thailand. What’s China’s comment on the outcomes and the significance of the trip? 

Mao Ning: President Xi’s visit is a productive and vitally important event of head-of-state diplomacy after the successful 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over six days and five nights, President Xi attended more than 30 events with rich substance and a far-reaching impact.

First, the trip increased the world’s understanding of China. On bilateral and multilateral occasions, President Xi shared with world leaders the stories of the 20th CPC National Congress, Chinese modernization and China’s cooperation with the global community for win-win results with systematic clarity, depth and insightfulness. The stories presented the bright prospects of China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening-up and sent out a strong message of China’s abiding commitment to world peace and development and to greater opening-up and cooperation. President Xi spoke from a global perspective and was clear and effective in his communication. The world readily understood what he said and found it convincing and highly relevant. This has helped other countries better understand and be more receptive of the CPC’s governing strategy and China’s path and vision. All sides extended warm congratulations on the success of the CPC National Congress and President Xi’s reelection as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. They commended China’s historic achievements made under the leadership of President Xi, and expressed confidence that China will continue to enjoy stability and prosperity and make greater contributions to the whole world.

Second, the trip presented China’s solution to the world. President Xi called for global efforts to advance a community with a shared future for humanity and make global development more inclusive, more resilient and beneficial to all. President Xi also stressed the need to build a global partnership for economic recovery, reiterated the International Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security and expressed China’s support for the African Union in joining the G20. These proposals have been warmly received among fellow developing countries. Drawing on the experience gained from the success of Asia-Pacific economic cooperation, President Xi noted that the Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for big power contest. He also put forward a six-point approach to advancing Asia-Pacific cooperation under the new circumstances, underlining the importance to follow a path of peaceful development, openness and inclusiveness, and solidarity. In the face of complex and challenging international dynamics, China has once again made a strong call of the times for solidarity and cooperation, put forward solutions for global governance with strategic insights and played a constructive role in the success of the G20 Summit and the APEC meeting.

Third, the trip further deepened China’s ties with the world. During the trip, China and Indonesia reached the important consensus on building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future. China and Thailand announced that they will build a China-Thailand community with a shared future for enhanced stability, prosperity and sustainability. President Xi had intensive bilateral engagement with world leaders, through which China cemented mutual trust and friendship with its neighbors in Asia, encouraged major countries in Europe to uphold strategic autonomy and explored the right way for China and the US to get along with each other in the new era. The leaders all expressed a strong desire to deepen cooperation with China and reiterated their firm commitment to the one-China policy. More and more countries have come to see that China’s development adds to the force for peace and progress and that China is a friend and partner they can trust and need to have.

China Daily: According to reports, Kazakhstan held snap elections on November 20 and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was reelected. What’s China’s comment? 

Mao Ning: China congratulates President Tokayev on his reelection. President Xi has sent him a congratulatory message.

China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbors and permanent comprehensive strategic partners. In September this year, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Kazakhstan. The two heads of state agreed to build a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe, pointing out the way forward for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to elevate China-Kazakhstan relations to a new height and deliver even more benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

Xinhua News Agency: According to reports, on November 18, the IAEA said in a press release that from November 14 to 18, the IAEA Task Force visited Japan, made a field trip to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and reviewed the updated technical plans for the water discharge by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the equipment and facilities to be used for the discharge. A report of this week’s mission will be made available within three months. The release also noted that the IAEA will publish a comprehensive assessment on the safety of the discharge prior to the planned release in 2023. What is China’s comment? 

Mao Ning: I have noted relevant reports. The Chinese side supports the IAEA and its Task Force in reviewing and assessing the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima. We hope the Task Force will carry out its task in an objective, just and science-based way and strictly implement the IAEA nuclear safety standards in order to ensure absolute safety of the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water. The final safety assessment of the Task Force must be based on the experts’ mission findings and review and the actual needs of the task. To ensure the report’s quality and credibility, setting up a deadline for the publication is inadvisable. The Japanese side should cooperate closely with the Task Force.

It needs to be pointed out that the Task Force has not evaluated the alternatives to ocean