Q: Today, Japan’s House of Representatives adopted a resolution related to China’s human rights conditions, which expressed concerns about human rights issues in Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong. What is China’s comment?

Zhao Lijian: The so-called resolution about human rights adopted by the Japan’s House of Representatives is extremely vile in nature, as it disregards facts and truth, maliciously denigrates China’s human rights conditions, gravely violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs.

The so-called human rights issues claimed by the Japanese side are purely China’s internal affairs, bear on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and allow no irresponsible comment by any external forces. Japan committed innumerous crimes during the war of aggression it waged in the past. With a deplorable track record in human rights, it has no authority whatsoever to make wanton remarks about other countries’ human rights conditions. Some Japanese politicians, in utter disregard of overall China-Japan relations and norms of state-to-state interaction, went to great lengths to piece together the so-called resolution. This is a severe political provocation against the Chinese people. The Chinese government and people are firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests. The competent official in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side. The Chinese side reserves the right to take further measures.