BEIJING: China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday at a regular press conference.
Last week at the NATO Public Forum, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the relationship with China is “the most complex and consequential” relationship and all the countries in NATO are “trying to make sure that together we’re upholding the rules-based international order – wherever it’s being challenged. And if China’s challenging it in one way or another, we will stand up to that.”
In response, Zhao said that the remarks of Blinken “turned a blind eye to facts” and were “full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias.”
Noting that China has never invaded any country nor engaged in proxy wars and formed military blocs, Zhao said that China has lived in harmony and pursued win-win cooperation with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
“Tactics such as reining in NATO, exaggerating the competition with China and provoking confrontations between blocs will not succeed,” the Chinese spokesperson said.
Besides, Blinken’s statement that NATO will not seek conflict is hypocritical and untrue. History has proved that it is not China posing any systemic challenge to NATO, but NATO increasingly posing systemic challenges to world peace and security, the spokesperson said.
Third, the so-called “rules-based international order” established by the U.S. is actually a law made by a few countries to serve its hegemonic self-interest.
“The U.S. has always been above the international law, applying or discarding international rules based on whether they conform to the U.S.’s interests, which is the biggest breach of the international order,” Zhao said.
We urge the U.S. side to correct its perception of China and give up its plans to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and follow the path of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Zhao expressed.
