China strongly opposes provocations and threats to its sovereignty and security by any country under the pretext of freedom of navigation, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Spokesperson Lin Jian said this at the daily press briefing in response to a question about the US destroyer Higgins and the Canadian frigate Vancouver, which were transiting the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.
The Eastern War Region Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has responded to the matter, Lin said, stressing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.
"The Taiwan issue is not a freedom of navigation issue, but an issue related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
On the official launch of the referendum on parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, Lin Jian He toldthat China and Iraq have a traditional friendship. China supports the Iraqi side in maintaining stability and achieving development, and is willing to strengthen exchanges with Iraq, deepen cooperation and promote the continuous achievement of new progress in the China-Iraq strategic partnership.
Another journalist asked what expectations China has from the BRICS summit in Kazan, what its priorities are and what results China would like to achieve at the summit.
Lin Jian said that it was previously announced that President Xi Jinping will attend this BRICS summit in Kazan, and he would like to reiterate that this year is the first year of "great BRICS cooperation". This meeting is the first after the enlargement of the BRICS group and has therefore attracted wide attention from the international community. Since their inception, the BRICS countries have always adhered to the spirit of openness, inclusion and win-win cooperation, focusing on solidarity and self-empowerment and dedicated to defending multilateralism. They have become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs.
Lin Jian added that during this meeting, President Xi Jinping will hold detailed talks with the leaders of the countries on the current international situation, practical BRICS cooperation, the development of the BRICS mechanism and other important issues of common concern. China is ready to work with all parties to promote the stable and long-term development of the "BRICS grand cooperation", open a new era of joint self-empowerment of the "global south", and jointly contribute to peace and development in the world.
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