China is pleased to see all efforts toward peace, including the consensus reached by the US and Russia on peace talks, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday at an event on China at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany in response to inquiries about China's position on the Ukraine crisis.

The endpoint of any conflict is the negotiating table, and history will ultimately be just, Wang said.

At the same time, China expects all parties and stakeholders to engage in the process of peace talks in due course, Wang noted. "As the war is taking place in Europe, it is all the more necessary for Europe to play its part for peace, to jointly address the root causes of the crisis and to find a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework for the lasting peace and stability in Europe," Wang said.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in separate phone calls and said both men expressed a desire for peace, Reuters reported. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he and Putin agreed "to stop the millions of deaths taking place" in the conflict, stressing Washington and Moscow will "immediately" engage in direct negotiations aimed at ending the crisis. "We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately," Trump said.

According to Reuters, Trump ordered top US officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, to begin talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine.

As the conflict is about to enter its fourth year on February 24, Ukraine and its supporters including Japan and France are preparing to submit to the UN General Assembly a resolution on February 24 that would urge a cease-fire in Ukraine, Kyodo News reported on Thursday. 

Wang also said on Friday at MSC that since the day after the conflict started, China has consistently advocated for a resolution through dialogue and consultation. "President Xi Jinping has put forward a four-point proposal, which is the most authoritative interpretation of China's position, stating that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be adhered to, that the legitimate security concerns of all parties should be taken into account, and that all efforts toward peace should be supported," Wang said.

"We have actively engaged in mediation based on these principles and have launched the 'Friends for Peace' Group with Brazil and other countries of the Global South. Development of situation has demonstrated that China's views are objective, fair, rational and pragmatic, reflecting the broad consensus of the international community," Wang said.

When questioned about the so-called China supporting Russia through oil and gas trade, Wang said that China and Russia, two major neighbors with long borders, have drawn lessons from past challenges and developed a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era that is non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party.

"China and Russia have normal economic and trade exchanges. If China does not import oil and gas from Russia, how could it meet its demands and ensure the need of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people?" Wang said.

The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar on Sunday evening issued a statement, saying that China and Myanmar had an in-depth exchange of views on further strengthening China-Myanmar law enforcement and security cooperation and jointly combating cross-border crimes such as telecom and online fraud and human trafficking.

The Myanmar side expressed that it attaches great importance to severely cracking down on illegal and criminal acts such as online gambling and telecom fraud, the statement said.

According to the statement, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia and Chinese Assistant Minister of Public Security Liu Zhongyi on Feb. 14 held talks with Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe and Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Tun Tun Naung, respectively.

During the talks, the Myanmar side introduced the specific measures taken by the Myanmar government to combat online gambling and telecom fraud in the near future, and said that it will strengthen coordination with China and other relevant neighboring countries to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and explore the establishment of a regular cooperation mechanism to jointly combat cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud, the statement said.

The Chinese side positively evaluated Myanmar's determination and efforts in protecting the safety of Chinese citizens, and stated that online gambling and telecom fraud seriously infringe upon the safety of people's lives and property.

China is willing to actively carry out bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Thailand, adopt comprehensive measures, and address both the symptoms and root causes, to jointly stop criminals from committing crimes in relevant countries, eradicate the "tumor" of online gambling and telecom fraud, and maintain the normal order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries, the statement said.

China is pleased to see all efforts that have been made toward peace, including the consensus reached by the US and Russia regarding peace talks and looks forward to the timely participation of all parties and stakeholders in the peace talk process, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Tuesday at a regular press conference.

Guo's remarks were made in response to a question about China's view on talks between US and Russia on Russia-Ukraine conflict on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier Ukraine will "never accept any decisions between the US and Russia" regarding the outcome of peace negotiation without Ukraine's participation. Concerned about being sidelined by Washington in the peace talks, European leaders on Monday held an emergency summit on Ukraine in Paris. 

"China has always held that dialogue and negotiation are the only way out for resolving the crisis. We have consistently been committed to promoting peace talks," Guo said.

China hopes the US will earnestly listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Monday in response to media questions on TikTok restoring service in the US as well as the proposed deal by Donald Trump that will see the US have 50 percent ownership in a joint venture.

TikTok has operated in the US for years and been very popular with American users, the spokesperson said, adding that it has played a positive role in boosting US employment and consumption.

Speaking at a rally on Sunday ahead of his inauguration, Trump said, "We have to save it [TikTok]," adding that the US will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans, Reuters reported.

When it comes to actions such as the operation and acquisition of businesses, Mao said that "we believe they should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles. If it involves Chinese companies, China's laws and regulations should be observed."

TikTok announced it is restoring services Sunday (US time), just hours after Trump said he would sign an executive order on his first day in office to "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions takes effect." Trump also pledged that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order. 

"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive," read a statement TikTok posted on social media platform X. 

"It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," per the statement.

The news of the popular social media platform's service resumption prompted cheers, with many users expressing their excitement at being able to use the app again after about 12 hours of shutdown.

"TikTok has become an important social platform for many people in the US and is also part of a broader business ecosystem for many American companies," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday, noting that for many American users, TikTok isn't just one of many options — it provides unique services and emotional value that other platforms may not offer.

"It has made significant efforts to respond to user innovations and meet special needs, which sets it apart," Zhou said.

Zhou also noted that for the Biden administration, "this reflects that its previous policies against the Chinese app may not align with public interest and sentiment. This could explain why many people have expressed support for TikTok online and opposed Biden's unilateral approach."

However, some users also expressed concerns over how long this resumption will last, given the lingering uncertainties surrounding TikTok's future. One American user named Author Tracey Vanessa King said, "But for how long?" among all the positive "welcome back" posts.

Although TikTok is resuming its services in the US following Trump's remarks, the app remains unavailable for download on Apple and Google app stores in the country as of press time.

TikTok serves as a hub for a diverse array of individuals and businesses across the US, contributing to a vibrant online community. According to a report published by the economics consultancy Oxford Economics, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that leverage TikTok's capabilities effectively have the opportunity to realize growth, stimulating economic activity within businesses and their supply chains and through employees' spending in the wider economy.

"SMB activity on TikTok contributed $24.2 billion to GDP in the US in 2023, while supporting 224,000 jobs," the report said.

"The resumption of TikTok is undoubtedly good news for many American users in many fields. However, although it has resumed, there is still no long-term solution in sight, partly due to the influence of certain politically driven forces within Congress that continue to support a ban," Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Monday.

Meanwhile, many American users who called themselves "TikTok refugees" have been actively putting up posts on the Chinese lifestyle social media app Xiaohongshu several days ahead of the US ban on January 19. Many users expressed how much Xiaohongshu appealed to them and stated that they are not going back.

An American user named TC Townsend wrote on Xiaohongshu, "I found a new home, and I love it... Whatever happens, I ain't coming back."

Data security responses

In a separate response to a question from a foreign report on the remarks made by Elon Musk questioning whether one "should allow a platform like TikTok to operate that had the potential to harvest American data as well as control the type of content it would broadcast in the US," the foreign ministry spokesperson responded that "we believe that internet companies need to observe local laws and regulations." 

As for the Chinese government, we attach great importance to data privacy and security and protect it in accordance with the law, Mao said. 

The Chinese government has never asked and will never ask any company or individual to collect or provide data located abroad against local laws, the spokesperson noted.

Also, when asked by another foreign media reporter about China's response to Elon Musk's remarks on Sunday on X claiming that "it was unbalanced to allow TikTok to operate in the US and not allow his social media platform X to operate in China," noting that it's "something needs to change," Mao said on Monday that the Chinese government manages the Internet in accordance with law. We welcome Internet companies across the world to operate in China as long as they abide by China's laws and regulations and provide safe and reliable products and services.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK said it is despicable for the UK to shelter criminals in response to UK foreign officials' meeting with four anti-China individuals seeking to destabilize Hong Kong who are wanted by the Hong Kong police. The embassy said that the four individuals' egregious actions seriously endanger national security, severely undermine the fundamental interests of Hong Kong, and have a serious impact on the principle of One Country, Two Systems which is a bottom line that must not be crossed.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the embassy expressed strong opposition and condemnation to the UK officials' blatant interference in the rule of law in Hong Kong and in China's internal affairs, after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Catherine West met with Carmen Lau and three other disruptors wanted by the Hong Kong police.

The embassy spokesperson said that the four individuals have long engaged in anti-China activities seeking to destabilize Hong Kong, and the law enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong police are necessary to uphold the rule of law in Hong Kong and defend national security.

We urge the UK to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, stop emboldening those anti-China individuals seeking to destabilize Hong Kong and stop harboring criminals, said the spokesperson.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that to ensure independent sampling and monitoring by China and other stakeholders is one of the commitments made by Japan on the issue of the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Mao said they learned from relevant authorities that Chinese research institutions have completed the tests and analysis of China's first independent sampling. No abnormality was seen in the activity concentration of tritium, caesium-137 and strontium-90.

In response to whether the above testing results prove the safety of the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, Mao stated that Japan's unilateral action taken in spite of concerns of neighboring countries and the international community lacks legitimacy and rationality.

China's firm opposition to Japan's discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea remains unchanged, Mao said, adding that in the absence of any compulsory international mechanism to stop the discharge, independent sampling by stakeholder countries on a continuous basis as a method of monitoring is an effective way to control the risks that come with the discharge.

Meanwhile, Mao said they noted that professional agencies pointed out that one single test provides limited reference. China will continue to work with the international community to urge Japan to fulfill its commitments, put the discharge under strict international oversight and continue the independent sampling and monitoring of the water.

Zhang Yanqiang, a professor of law of the sea studies at Dalian Maritime University, said that radioactive substances are different from other materials. Many radionuclides have no effective treatment technology, and some long-lived radionuclides may spread with ocean currents and have bioaccumulation effects. 

Although the current values have not exceeded normal levels and normal radiation doses, we cannot predict whether this will still be the case in five or 10 years, and it still needs long-term monitoring," Zhang told the Global Times on Thursday.

When asked whether this would lead to the resumption of Japanese seafood imports, Mao stated that the Chinese government always puts people first and firmly safeguards the food safety of our people.

On the issue of resuming imports of Japanese aquatic products, the spokesperson said China always follows a science-based approach. The first independent sampling and testing is just one of the steps for Japan to implement its commitments on the discharge issue. 

The resumption of Japanese aquatic products depends on results from a series of data including those from China's continuous independent sampling and monitoring and whether Japan will take concrete measures to effectively guarantee the quality and safety of exported aquatic products to China, Mao said.

According to information from the China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, October 2024 marked China's first independent sampling of the Fukushima nuclear wastewater release.

As per the workflow of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), specific data will be compiled and released by the IAEA.