China on Thursday condemned some Japanese politicians' remarks on the Taiwan question, criticizing them for keeping silent on issues left over from history while making unfounded claims on China's Taiwan region.
Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated China's stance on the Taiwan question.
"Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan [in 1972], the Japanese government has repeatedly acknowledged that the Taiwan question is part of China's internal affairs. These are legal obligations that the Japanese side must fulfill and the political commitments it must abide by," Lin said.
"Many insightful individuals in Japan are reflecting on the country’s domestic and foreign policies, discussing longstanding issues such as the forced recruitment of 'comfort women' and laborers, and the rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. Some Japanese politicians tend to be silent or turn a blind eye on these issues, yet they make unwarranted remarks on Taiwan. Their true intentions are known only to themselves," he said.
China condemns Japanese politicians' irresponsible remarks on Taiwan question
China has allocated a second batch of ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support equipment upgrades, as authorities step up efforts to boost investment, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Thursday.
The commission said 91.5 billion yuan, or about 13.4 billion U.S. dollars, has been earmarked for more than 6,700 projects across 16 sectors.
The projects span industrial and energy systems, transport and logistics, public services such as healthcare, education and tourism, as well as environmental and recycling initiatives, and are expected to drive total investment of over 380 billion yuan, or roughly 56 billion U.S. dollars.
The funding will also support the replacement of aging trucks, electric city buses and outdated agricultural machinery. Including earlier allocations, the total funding under the program has reached 185.1 billion yuan this year (over 27 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 92 percent of the annual quota.
Driven by the policy, investment in equipment and tools rose 13.9 percent year on year in the first quarter, accelerating by 2.4 percentage points from the January-February period and contributing 2.3 percentage points to overall investment growth.
The commission said it will work with relevant departments to strengthen oversight, improve full-cycle fund management, and accelerate project implementation and fund disbursement, to ensure fund efficiency.
China allocates 2nd batch of special bond funds for equipment upgrades
