Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday said that the US had seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust between the countries by criticizing Beijing over issues such as Hong Kong and the treatment of Muslim Uighurs.
“Such behavior is almost paranoid and is indeed rare in international exchanges, seriously damaging the hard-won foundation of mutual trust between China and the United States, and seriously weakening the United States’ international credibility,” Wang said.
There were deep-seated issues that need to be addressed and resolved between both sides, issues that are bringing increasingly severe challenges to the future of the relationship, he said.
Photo: Reuters
Wang was speaking at an annual symposium in Beijing on international affairs.
The US last month introduced several pieces of legislation that could potentially target top Chinese officials with sanctions over human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Beijing has strongly condemned the legislation, which it says represents serious interference in its domestic affairs.
Wang said that China would “resolutely fight against external forces that interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs” and “sever the black hands” supporting revolution in Hong Kong.
In Bangkok, the commander of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet said China’s activities in territory that it claims in the South China Sea are meant to intimidate other nations in the region.
US Admiral John Aquilino said that China’s actions, including constructing islands in the disputed waters, are intended to project its military capacity.
He told journalists at a briefing in the Thai capital that in addition to installing anti-aircraft and anti-ship missile systems, and radar-jamming equipment, China has landed bombers on runways on some of the islands it built atop coral reefs and lagoons that dot one of the world’s busiest waterways.
It is clear that such installations “absolutely have military purpose in order to present an optic to partners and nations in the region that show military strength and ultimately coerce and bully the nations in the region,” he said.
China’s territorial claims clash with other claimants, including Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Aquilino called for China to “adhere to the international rights of all, in accordance with international law, as recognized by all nations in the region.”
Additional reporting by AP
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