Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in Beijing
Beijing, June 16 (RHC)-- Beijing says the United States is showing its “true hegemonic nature” by spreading disinformation against China and attempting to tarnish its image, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over the self-ruled Chinese Taipei.
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and traded barbs at their first meeting on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialog security summit in Singapore.
Austin said Beijing must “refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan,” while his Chinese counterpart hit back, vowing that China would “fight to the very end … at all cost.”
Wei warned that China-U.S. ties are at a critical juncture, stressing thNormalat his country has “no choice” but to fight if attempts are made to separate Taiwan from China. He also urged Washington to “stop smearing and containing China... stop interfering in China's internal affairs and stop harming China's interests.”
Under the “One-China” policy, almost all world countries recognize China's sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S., too, recognizes the principle but has long courted Taipei in an attempt to unnerve Beijing. Furthermore, Washington, which backs Taipei’s secessionist president, also continues to sell weapons to the island in violation of its own stated policy.
Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, at a press conference, denounced the U.S. for its hegemonic nature, creating discord, and spreading anti-China disinformation.
“We noticed that the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in his remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China has adopted a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and the stakes are especially stark in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Austin “also said that the U.S. remains committed to its one-China policy. The Chinese delegation attending the event has responded to Secretary Austin’s remarks. I would like to stress that by repeatedly spreading disinformation and painting an ugly picture of China, the U.S. could only further expose its ill intention to sow discord and the true nature of its hegemonic practices and exercise of power politics,” Wang added.
Wang also lambasted the U.S. for being the biggest factor in fueling militarization in the Asia-Pacific and for deploying military aircraft and warships in the South China Sea regularly. He further denounced Washington for its reconnaissance aircraft often electronically mimicking the civil aircraft of other countries there.
“Not long ago, a US nuclear-powered submarine even hit an ‘uncharted seamount’ in the South China Sea. According to statistics from institutions with professional knowledge, the number of the U.S.’ close-in military reconnaissance missions against China has more than doubled compared with a decade ago. Since the beginning of this year, the U.S. naval ships have transited the Taiwan Strait once a month on average. U.S. military aircraft have engaged in large-scope, frequent and provocative close-in reconnaissance to deter and pressure China. Apparently, ‘militarization’ and ‘endangering freedom of navigation’ are more accurate when used to describe the behavior of the United States,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman added.
