\u201cThere are more than 190 countries in the world,\u201d the Chinese diplomat said during a news conference in Beijing. <\/p>\n
\u201cShould everyone stress \u2018my country first\u2019 and obsess over a position of strength, the law of the jungle would reign again, smaller and weaker countries would bear the brunt first, and international norms and order would take a body blow,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Wang, China\u2019s most seasoned diplomat and a trusted hand for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, made the remarks while hosting his 11th such news briefing on the sidelines of the yearly \u201ctwo sessions\u201d gathering of China\u2019s rubber stamp legislature and its top political advisory body. <\/p>\n
The highly choregraphed event is typically a chance for Beijing to broadcast its views on pressing global issues. But this year\u2019s gathering, which comes as Beijing is wading into a new trade war with Washington and Trump upends US foreign policy, gave Wang a well-timed platform to present China as a reliable leader and stable partner. <\/p>\n
When asked about Trump\u2019s decision to double additional tariffs on Chinese imports to the US earlier this week, Wang struck a defiant tone: \u201cNo country should fantasize that it can suppress China on the one hand and develop good relations with China on the other.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThis \u2018two-faced\u2019 approach is not only not conducive to the stability of bilateral relations, but also unable to establish mutual trust,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cA big country should honor its international obligations and fulfill its due responsibilities. It should not put selfish interests before principles, still less should it wield the power to bully the weak,\u201d Wang said, adding that China \u201cresolutely opposes power politics and hegemony.\u201d <\/p>\n
Since taking office in January, Trump has upended the US role on the global stage: pulling back from international pacts and bodies, cancelling much of America\u2019s vast foreign aid and threatening to take control of other countries\u2019 sovereign territory. His administration has also thrown into question longstanding alliances, alienating Europe as it pivots to Russia \u2014 and earlier this week suspending American military aid to Ukraine. <\/p>\n
Frequent criticisms of China\u2019s aggression in South China Sea and its intimidation of the self-ruling democracy of Taiwan notwithstanding, Chinese diplomats have used the American president\u2019s shakeup to inject more oomph into efforts to showcase their country \u2014 and not America \u2014 as being on the right side of history. <\/p>\n
Few global issues have lent themselves as neatly to that rhetoric than the war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s pivot toward Moscow has not only shocked European allies but left open an opportunity for Beijing to push back against longstanding criticism of its close ties with Moscow, which have only expanded since Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n
Speaking to media Wednesday on the margins of a meeting of China\u2019s advisory body the Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference, Lu Shaye, China\u2019s special envoy for the European Affairs, called on countries to \u201cfirst criticize the US\u201d and not China for Russia ties. <\/p>\n
\u201cIs it still necessary to question whether China is favoring Russia? If they still have doubts about this, they should first criticize the US. The US is not just leaning (towards Russia) \u2014 it\u2019s supporting it,\u201d said Lu, a former ambassador to France who\u2019s known for his brash style. <\/p>\n
\u201cEuropean friends should reflect on how the Trump administration\u2019s policies contrast with those of the Chinese government,\u201d he said, adding that with its \u201cmutually beneficial\u201d approach to foreign policy, China\u2019s \u201ccircle of friends will only grow.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Chinese foreign minister also addressed the war in Ukraine and Russia-China relations during his roughly 90-minute press conference. <\/p>\n
He hailed Moscow-Beijing ties as a \u201cconstant push in a turbulent world\u201d at a time when Trump officials have suggested they hope to drive a wedge between the two close partners. <\/p>\n
When asked how Beijing could factor into efforts toward peace in Ukraine, which so far have appeared to be largely driven by Washington and Moscow and bypassing Europe and Ukraine, Wang reiterated China\u2019s claim that it holds an \u201cobjective and impartial\u201d stance on the conflict and said it \u201cwelcomes and supports all efforts for peace.\u201d <\/p>\n
But he also used his answer to promote a shared view between Moscow and Beijing \u2014 who have long been united in their opposition to NATO, which they have falsely blamed for sparking Russia\u2019s invasion. ` <\/p>\n
\u201cAll parties should learn something from the crisis,\u201d Wang said, adding in a veiled reference to the US and its Europe alliance system: \u201cNo country should build its security on the insecurity of another.\u201d <\/p>\n
He also indirectly criticized Washington\u2019s approach to the conflict in Gaza, when asked about Trump\u2019s controversial proposal last month for the US to take ownership of the war-torn enclave and redevelop it into a \u201cMiddle Eastern Riviera.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the major country truly cares about the people in Gaza, it should promote comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, ramp up humanitarian assistance, observe the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine and contribute to the reconstruction,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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