China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said, we urge America not to talk such nonsense
Munich:
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday condemned the United States’ response to Washington’s shooting of Chinese spy balloons as “hysterical and absurd”, in unusually strong remarks against the top Western power.
Addressing a gathering of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, Wang said the administration of US President Joe Biden has a “misguided” perception of Beijing.
And he accused Washington of trying to “smear” the Asian giant while it itself was implementing policies that ran counter to its paradigms, such as free trade.
“There are many balloons in the sky from many countries. Do you want to shoot down every one of them?” Wang charged.
“We urge the United States not to indulge in such absurd talk just to divert attention from its domestic problems.”
The United States has been under threat ever since a giant white balloon from China was spotted over a series of top-secret nuclear weapons sites before being shot down off the east coast on February 4.
Beijing denies that it uses spy balloons and says the craft were for weather research. It then accused Washington of sending its own spy balloons over its territory – something the US denies.
The controversy forced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to suddenly cancel a rare visit to China.
With Blinken in Munich for the conference, all eyes are on whether the two sides are able to hold the meeting.
But Wang responded combatively when asked whether he was planning a meeting with the US delegation.
Washington, he said, misperceives China as a serious geopolitical challenge and threat to the United States.
“It is a misconception of China and with this perception, the United States is using all its means to discredit and suppress China, and co-opting other countries to do the same, ” They said.
Wang accused the US instead of “100 percent protectionism, 100 percent self-serving, 100 percent unilateral action” in its economic policies such as the CHIPS Act.
“We hope that the US side will adopt a pragmatic and proactive attitude towards China and work together with China to allow our bilateral relations to accept a sound development track,” he said.
‘Don’t make the same mistake’
After four years of hostile relations with China under his predecessor Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden has made it a priority to reset ties with Beijing – which he describes as Washington’s biggest competitor.
But tensions escalated last year after Nancy Pelosi, then leader of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan – the self-governing democracy island claimed by Beijing.
That project may soon be tested again, with a high-level Pentagon official planning to visit Taiwan in the coming days.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also prompted Western powers to take a wary eye on relations between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – who call each other “friends”.
Also in Munich, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said “Beijing is watching closely what price Russia pays, or what it gets, for its aggression”.
He warned, “What is happening in Europe today could be happening in East Asia tomorrow.”
Stoltenberg also said Moscow’s intrusion exposed the dangers of Europe’s over-reliance on authoritarian regimes and should serve as a lesson as the continent orients its relations with Beijing.
He cautioned, “We must not make the same mistake with China and other authoritarian regimes.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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