Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday says that Beijing supports the “full” membership of the Palestinian state in the United Nations, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
Wang made these remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the country’s Two Sessions gathering.
The press conference comes after an annual press conference with Premier Li Qiang was scrapped, breaking years of convention.
Meanwhile, in a separate discussion, China’s ambassadors urged the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to engage more with the foreign media to tell China’s story better, said a report in the Strait Times.
The advice was also given at a small discussion which was part of the Two Sessions gathering.
The CPPCC is the top advisory body in China. It comprises of 2,000 delegates and is responsible for promoting China’s image both at home and abroad.
China’s ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, said international understanding of China’s political system would improve if the body’s members interacted more with other countries and accepted more foreign media interviews.
According to a Reporters Without Borders report released in May 2023, China was “the world’s biggest jailers of journalists and one of the biggest exporters of propaganda content.” Out of the 180 countries surveyed, China was placed second last, just above North Korea.
International agencies say the problem was not just within China. A 2022 report by Freedom House found that China looked to influence foreign media in 18 out of 30 democracies.
China’s growing tensions with specific countries especially over its stance on Taiwan have also been reflected in the lack of questions coming from these countries. According to the South China Morning Post out of the 21 questions asked to Wang, no questions were asked by Indian and Japanese reporters while a US reporter asked one.
During the press conference, a reporter from China Arab TV asked Wang how could China tell its stories better?
“You have told the world inspiring stories of 1.4 billion people working as one for the Chinese dream. You have shown the world a vibrant China in a new era. Let me take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the good work of our friends from the media,” Wang responded, according to the report.
