BEIJING: China is strongly dissatisfied with and resolutely opposes the moves of the United States in manipulating Hong Kong-related issues and suppressing Hong Kong’s development, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to the U.S. House of Representatives considering and passing the “Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act.”
Mao said that HKETO is an overseas economic and trade organization set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, and its successful and smooth operation is conducive to expanding practical economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and relevant countries and regions with win-win results.
Mao said the bill politicizes and instrumentalizes normal economic and trade cooperation, deliberately discredits Hong Kong’s overseas institutions, and is of a very bad nature.
Hong Kong is the second-largest source of trade surplus for the United States, and more than 1,200 U.S. enterprises have invested in Hong Kong, according to Mao. Such a move by the United States will only end up harming its own interests, she said, adding that China has lodged solemn representations with the United States.
“China urges the United States to stop advancing the bill, so as not to cause greater harm to the stability and development of China-U.S. relations,” said Mao, adding that should the United States insist on going its own way, China will take practical and effective countermeasures.
Chinese FM reiterates stance after Putin, Meloni’s reported remarks on China’s role in solving Ukraine crisis
The Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated China’s stance on the Ukraine crisis, emphasizing that China is committed to promoting peace talks, and supports all efforts for peace, in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reportedly expressing hope that China and other countries can mediate Russia-Ukraine conflict or play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
We stand ready to continue working with the international community to accumulate conditions for the political settlement of the crisis and play a constructive role for peace, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a routine press conference on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, Putin said on Thursday that China, India and Brazil could act as mediators in potential peace talks over Ukraine. Putin said a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the first weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented, could serve as the basis for talks.
In another development, Meloni, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Italy’s Cernobbio on Saturday, said that India and China have the potential to find a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, The Times of India reported on Sunday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that China’s stance on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. China always believes that to end the hostilities as soon as possible and seek a political settlement is in the interest of all parties. China is of the view that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the Ukraine crisis.
On August 27, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui held a media briefing on the recent fourth round of shuttle diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis. Li said that all parties are generally concerned about the risk of escalation and spillover of the conflict, concerned about the deep-rooted reasons for the protracted crisis, and highly appreciated the six common understandings issued by China and Brazil, which provide a valuable path for promoting the resolution of the crisis.
“All parties have put forward their own ideas on the peace process and look forward to strengthening exchanges with China to promote a fair and just solution to the crisis,” Li said.
