China firmly opposes accusations in G7 communique

This undated photo shows the building of China's Foreign Ministry. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING – China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to accusations made against it in a Group of Seven (G7) joint communique, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, reaffirming China's unswerving determination to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks during a daily press briefing when commenting on the G7 communique that criticizes China on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other matters.

… It exposes the bad intentions of the United States and a few other countries to deliberately create antagonism and widen differences. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this.

Zhao Lijian, Spokesperson, Chinese foreign ministry

The Chinese side has noticed that the joint communique mentioned China-related issues, deliberately slandered China and interfered in China's internal affairs on issues concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, Zhao said.

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"It runs counter to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the trend of the times of peace, development and win-win cooperation. It exposes the bad intentions of the United States and a few other countries to deliberately create antagonism and widen differences. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this," Zhao said.

"Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs are purely China's internal affairs, which brook no interference from outside forces. China is unswerving in its determination to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests," the spokesperson added.

A multi-polar world and democracy in international relations are the irresistible trend of our times. Gone are the days when one nation or a group of nations called the shots, Zhao noted.

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Under the current circumstances, it is more important than ever for the international community to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and practice true multilateralism, instead of engaging in "group politics" based on "small cliques," suppressing different development models with ideological division, confusing right and wrong and shifting responsibilities, Zhao said.

"The United States is sick. The G7 should feel its pulse and prescribe medicine for it," Zhao said.

China poses no 'systemic challenges'

China poses no "systemic challenges" to anyone, the spokesperson said when asked to comment on a communiqué recently issued by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which says China poses so-called systemic challenges to the international order and areas related to NATO's security.

Zhao said there is only one system and one kind of order, namely, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law.

"Forging cliques, practicing bloc politics and forcing other countries to pick sides between camps based on ideology go against the historical trend of peace, development and cooperation. It is doomed to be unpopular and doomed to fail," said Zhao.

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He said that, on the one hand, NATO urges its member states to beef up military expenditure, while on the other hand, it levels groundless accusations against China's normal development of national defense and military modernization. "This is typical double standard," Zhao said.

He noted that China's per capita military expenditure is less than one fifth of NATO's, and lower than the global average.

NATO has on many occasions brought warfare and turbulence to the world, Zhao said, citing wars waged against Iraq, Syria and other sovereign states based on fabricated evidence.

"We will never forget the historical tragedy of the bombing of China's embassy in Yugoslavia. This is a debt of blood that NATO owes to the Chinese people," the spokesperson added.