Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on May 28, 2019

　　问：据报道，中国将不参加由美国主办的、讨论向巴勒斯坦提供经济援助的会议，该会议将于6月在巴林举行。你能否证实？中方为何不参加此次会议？

　　答：我没有听说你说的情况，中方迄今为止也没有收到任何关于参会的正式邀请。但我相信你很清楚，中国政府在巴勒斯坦问题上的立场是明确和一贯的，我们主张坚持“两国方案”大方向，坚持联合国有关决议、“土地换和平”原则、“阿拉伯和平倡议”等国际共识和准则。国际社会应坚持促和不松懈，尽最大努力凝聚各方共识，倾听有关当事方特别是巴勒斯坦方面的看法和主张。

Q: The media yesterday quoted China's Ambassador to Palestine saying that China would not be attending the meeting organized by the United States on financial aids for the Palestinians to be held in Bahrain in June. Can you confirm and explain why not?

A: I am not aware of that and China has not received a formal invitation to the meeting. But I am sure you know that the Chinese government's position on the question of Palestine is clear and consistent. We believe that international consensus and principles including the "two-state solution", relevant UN resolutions, the principle of "land for peace" and the Arab Peace Initiative should be adhered to. The international community should keep up efforts to promote peace, try its best to build consensus and ensure that the voice and propositions of parties concerned, especially Palestine, are heeded.

　　问：我们注意到，5月24日，第五届中美省州长论坛在美国肯塔基州列克星敦市闭幕。你能否介绍一下具体情况？

　　答：确实，这次中美省州长论坛引起了中美两国社会的高度关注。特别是这次中美双方的与会人数还是非常多的。如你所说，5月23日至24日，第五届中美省州长论坛在肯塔基州列克星敦市成功举行，论坛气氛非常热烈、富有成果。论坛以“共谱中美关系新篇章”为主题，举行了多场活动。中美两国共约400名代表与会，中方代表包括中国全国对外友协以及重庆市、陕西省、江西省、甘肃省和驻美使馆负责人，美方代表包括美国教育部以及肯塔基、田纳西、科罗拉多、密歇根、华盛顿等19个州负责人。

Q: We noted that the fifth China-US Governors Forum concluded in Lexington, Kentucky on May 24. Could you share more information with us?

A: Indeed, this forum attracted much attention in both China and the US and the number of participants was quite high. Just like you said, the fifth China-US Governors Forum was successfully held in Lexington, Kentucky from May 23 to 24. It was a lively and fruitful forum. Under the theme of "toward a better future for China-US relations", many events were organized. About 400 delegates attended the forum, consisting of, from the Chinese side, leaders from the CPAFFC, Chongqing Municipality, Shaanxi Province, Jiangxi Province, Gansu Province and the Chinese Embassy in the US, and from the US side, leaders from the Department of Education and 19 states, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, etc.

　　论坛期间，中美两国与会嘉宾聚焦贸易投资、教育文化、先进制造业、基础设施建设等议题，深入探讨通过地方交流合作推动中美关系健康稳定发展。双方地方政府、企业、院校等机构签署了加强友好省州关系以及农业、能源、教育等领域一系列合作协议。与会期间，美方地方政要和工商界代表在发言中纷纷表示，中美关系十分重要，积极支持两国地方政府和各界人士开展交往合作，同时普遍呼吁妥善处理分歧摩擦，维护两国关系稳定发展。

　　此次中美双方积极出席论坛，再次表明交流合作是中美两国民心所向、大势所趋。我们愿与美方共同努力，进一步深化中美地方和各界交流与合作，更好造福两国人民。

Delegates focused on such areas as trade, investment, education, culture, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure and had in-depth discussions on how to promote the sound and steady development of China-US relations through sub-national exchange and cooperation. Sub-national governments, businesses and education institutions signed a series of deals on enhancing friendly relations and strengthening cooperation in agriculture, energy and education. Local officials and business leaders from the US emphasized in their speeches the importance of China-US relations, voiced support for exchange and cooperation between local governments and other sectors, and called for a proper settlement of differences and friction to ensure the steady development of the bilateral relationship.

The active participation of both sides shows once again that exchange and cooperation is a shared aspiration and invincible trend. We stand ready to work with the US for greater benefits to our peoples by deepening sub-national and across-the-board exchange and cooperation.