BEIJING, June 24 -- Recently, the US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has been hyping up the so-called “China threat” in total disregard of facts, trying to sow discord among the regional countries and stigmatize China’s anti-epidemic efforts.
“China is strongly discontent with and firmly opposed to those remarks, “said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, at the regular press conference on the afternoon of June 24.
“Thanks to the united efforts of all countries in the region, currently the East and South China Seas have maintained generally stable situation. This speaks volumes for the regional countries’ wisdom, capability and means to properly handle their divergences through direct negotiations and consultations, and jointly safeguard the regional peace,” said Senior Colonel Wu.
In contrast, the US, as a country out of the region, has dispatched military vessels and aircraft to make provocations in the East and South China Seas under the pretext of “freedom of navigation”, frequently conducted close-in reconnaissance on China and held highly targeted military exercises, he added.
The US moves have seriously harmed the sovereignty and security interests of regional countries and undermined peace and stability in the region, and the accusation of “weakening the sovereignty of other countries and undermining international rules” fabricated by the US against China should be put on its own head where it rightly belongs, he pointed out.
As for some American politicians who have spared no effort in smearing and slandering China in attempt to divert domestic conflicts and shirk responsibilities for their poor pandemic response, Wu stressed that the international community will have a righteous conclusion about right and wrong. Blaming China is no way to solve America’s own problems.
China and the US will benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation, so collaboration is the only right choice for them, with their mil-to-mil relationship being an essential part of bilateral ties. Maintaining a generally stable relationship between the two militaries is in the interests of both countries and the international community.
It is hoped that the US side will work with China under the overarching guideline of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, so as to create more favorable conditions for promoting a coordinated, collaborative and stable China-US relationship, said Wu.