问：据报道，9日，中日两国政府就中国向日本提供一对朱鹮达成协议，并签署备忘录。这是中方时隔11年再次向日本提供朱鹮。中方对此有何评论？ 

　　答：朱鹮素有鸟中“东方宝石”之称，深受中日两国人民喜爱，已经成为两国人民友谊的象征。 

Q: According to reports, on May 9, the Chinese and Japanese governments reached an agreement on China providing a pair of crested ibises to Japan, and the two sides signed a memorandum. It has been 11 years since China offered crested ibises to Japan last time. What is your comment?

A: Known as "the Diamond of the Orient" of its kind, crested ibises are deeply adored by both the Chinese and Japanese people and they have become a symbol of our friendship. 

　　中日两国从上世纪80年代起共同保护朱鹮，中方先后向日方提供5只朱鹮个体，帮助日方重新建立朱鹮种群，日方通过官方和民间保护项目支持中国朱鹮栖息地保护工作。 

　　经过长期努力，中国朱鹮种群数量已由1981年的7只发展到3000多只，并通过放归自然等措施在陕西、浙江、河南等地重建了野外种群。日本朱鹮种群已达500只左右，也通过人工繁育个体放归自然重建了野外种群。中日朱鹮保护合作共赢已经成为世界野生动物保护史上的成功范例。 

China and Japan have joined hands to protect crested ibises since the 1980s. China has since then provided 5 crested ibises to Japan and helped it to restore its crested ibis colonies. Japan has supported China's efforts to preserve the crested ibis habitats through official and private programs. 

Thanks to long-term endeavors, the number of crested ibises in China has grown from 7 in 1981 to over 3000, and the wild crested ibis colonies have been recovered in Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Henan and other provinces through reintroduction and other measures. In Japan, the number of crested ibises has reached around 500 and the wild crested ibis colonies have also been restored through the reintroduction of artificially reared individuals. The China-Japan win-win cooperation for the preservation of crested ibis has become a successful exemplar in the history of world wildlife protection. 

　　此次，中方再次向日方提供两只朱鹮用于两国开展合作繁育研究，这不仅有利于继续提高日方朱鹮种群的遗传多样性，也将进一步增进两国人民的友好感情。 

　　问：5月8日，亚美尼亚议会选举帕什尼扬为总理。中方对此有何评论？ 

　　答：亚美尼亚是中国的友好合作伙伴。中方尊重亚美尼亚人民的选择，愿继续推动两国关系和各领域合作向前发展。 

Now, China's offering of two crested ibises for joint breeding study will not only help to increase the genetic diversity of Japanese crested ibis colonies but also further enhance the friendship between the two peoples.

Q: On May 8, the Armenian parliament elected Nikol Pashinyan as the country's new Prime Minister. What is your comment? 

A: Armenia is a friendly cooperative partner of China. We respect the choice made by the Armenian people and stand ready to move forward our bilateral relations and advance cooperation across the board.