Q: The US claims that China’s military exercise and crossing of the median line of the Taiwan Strait are overreaction that has escalated the situation and threatened regional peace and stability. What is your take?
A: It is the US that is threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is part of China’s territory. There is no such thing as a median line in the Strait. The Chinese armed forces conduct military exercises in waters off China’s Taiwan island to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. Our measures are open and proportionate. They are in line with both domestic law and international law and practices. They are beyond reproach.
The US and its allies often come to the adjacent waters of China, flexing muscles and stirring up troubles. They conduct up to a hundred military exercises each year. They, instead of someone else, are the ones that overreact and escalate the situation.
Q: The US claims that China should exercise restraint, and if China continues to take more countermeasures, the US will be forced to respond, which may lead to a spiral of escalation. What is your view on this?
A: It is the US side that insisted on having Pelosi visit Taiwan, keeps challenging China’s red line, undermines China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and thus causes continuous escalation of tensions. China’s efforts to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity is lawful, legitimate and justified. The current situation is caused by the US side singlehandedly, and the responsibility surely must be borne by the US side. Pressuring China to “exercise restraint” is a flagrant act of hegemonism, bullying and coercion.
It has been proved time and again that the US is the biggest troublemaker of cross-Strait peace and regional stability. If the international community allows the US to do what it wants, the UN Charter will be just a sheet of paper, and the law of the jungle will prevail. In the end, it will be the developing countries that suffer.
It is hoped that all parties would stay on high vigilance against US attempts to beef up its military deployment in the region. The typical US playbook is to create a problem and then use it to achieve its own objective. But this simply won’t work on China! The Chinese people are not to be misled by fallacies or scared by evils, and will never waver in defending our core interests. This is our stern warning to the US side: do not act recklessly or manufacture an even bigger crisis, give up the attempt to use Taiwan to contain China, play no games but return to the one-China principle and the three joint communiqués, and do right things and take concrete steps to facilitate the steady development of China-US relations.
Q: The US claims that China’s decision to suspend bilateral cooperation in multiple areas with the US — including talks on climate change— does not punish Washington but the whole world, particularly the developing world. What is you comment?
A: The US cannot represent the whole world. The Chinese side has taken justified and reasonable countermeasures in response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. For some time, the Chinese side has repeatedly stressed to the US side that the one-China principle is the political foundation on which China develops bilateral relations with other countries. China-US cooperation on climate change cannot be separated from the overall bilateral relationship. China has warned the US well in advance that should Pelosi visit Taiwan, it would cause a crisis and major disruptions to China-US exchange and cooperation. Unfortunately, the US side ignored that, and went ahead with the visit. The Taiwan question is at the very heart of China’s core interests. The United States, while undermining China’s core interests, is asking for China’s cooperation where they need it. What kind of logic is this? By allowing and supporting Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the US Government has seriously violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermined the political foundation of China-US relations. This will inevitably cause a major disruption to China-US exchanges and cooperation. We had issued prior warnings and we always match our words with actions. The US side should not feel surprised, and the responsibility must be borne by the US side.
Due to the negative consequences of Pelosi’s visit, the Chinese side had to suspend bilateral climate talks with the US. The US does not represent the whole world. China will continue to actively participate in international and multilateral cooperation on climate change and strive to meet our carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. We will actively engage in climate change negotiations through the main channels, provide support and help to fellow developing countries within the realm of our ability, and make our due contribution to meeting this global challenge.
The US side must shoulder its historical responsibilities and obligations on climate change rather than make empty promises without taking actions. The US Supreme Court has recently ruled on restricting the US Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The US side has also imposed sanctions on Chinese photovoltaic (PV) firms under the pretext of the so-called Xinjiang-related issues, thus directly undermining the atmosphere of China-US cooperation. These conflicting acts cannot but make people question the US’s capacity and resolve to address climate change. The US side should earnestly fulfill its historical responsibilities and due obligations, keep its policies consistent and stop its wrong rhetoric and actions that aimed at suppressing Chinese PV firms.
As a responsible major country, China will, as always, take an active part in international cooperation on climate change and other matters. We make our own contribution to the tackling of global challenges. What the US should do is to fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations. It should stop making excuses for its own mistakes. China urges the US side to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, including respect for other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, return to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, and stop its rhetoric and actions that undermine China’s core interests, so as to create the necessary conditions for China-US cooperation on climate change.