Baseless slanders by foreign parties will not be tolerated, China tells US

Beijing is ready to work with Washington to bring ties back on right track, FM Wang Yi says at a news conference

China will not tolerate baseless slanders in its domestic affairs by foreign parties, nor will it allow its core interests to be violated, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a news conference on Sunday.

He made these remarks in response to an inquiry on whether China can concede on questions ranging from the South China Sea to Taiwan to improve relations with the United States.

Wang said that China will never accept groundless allegation and vilification and will never allow its core interests to be violated, urging the United States to recognise the fact that it has been, for quite some time, willfully interfering in other countries' internal affairs in the name of democracy and human rights.

"This has created many trouble in the world, and in some cases, became the source of turbulence and conflict. It is important that the US recognise this as soon as possible. Otherwise, the world will not enjoy peace and tranquility."

"The Chinese people are in the best position to tell whether China is doing a good job. The Chinese people can best decide what the right thing for China to do is," Wang said.

Also read: China says hopes US will remove 'unreasonable' restrictions on cooperation

China is however ready to work with the United States to bring bilateral relations back on the right track, Foreign Minister Wang maintained.

He said the two sides should follow through on the outcomes of the phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joseph R. Biden on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year last month, and set bilateral relations on a new path of healthy and steady growth.

As two separate countries with different social systems, China and the United States naturally have differences and disagreements, Wang said. "What matters most is to manage them effectively through candid communication to prevent strategic miscalculation and avoid conflict and confrontation," he added.

It is not surprising that there is competition between China and the United States as their interests are intertwined, but the two sides should have healthy competition on the basis of fairness and equity, Wang said.

China hopes that the United States will meet China half way and remove all its unreasonable restrictions on bilateral cooperation as early as possible, and not create new obstacles, Wang said, noting that China is ready to work with the United States in fields including anti-pandemic fight, economic recovery and climate change.

(With input from Xinhua)