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China rejects smear, urges G7 to stop creating camp confrontation
Updated 20:50, 18-Apr-2023
CGTN

China on Tuesday urged the Group of Seven (G7) to stop creating divisions or provoking camp confrontation, in response to a statement by foreign ministers of the group of developed economies Beijing said has smeared it.

The G7 has ignored China's position, disregarded facts, "grossly" interfered in China's internal affairs, and "maliciously" slandered and discredited China, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Wang said, China expresses its strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to this, and has made solemn representations to Japan, which hosted a three-day meeting of the G7 foreign ministers.

In a joint statement released earlier Tuesday after the meeting held in central Japan, the G7 top diplomats reaffirmed what they said was "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits" and expressed so-called concerns over the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and China's Xinjiang and Tibet.

Noting the current stability in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, Wang urged "relevant countries" to respect the efforts of regional countries to safeguard peace and stability, and stop driving a wedge among them or creating confrontations between camps.

On Taiwan question

Wang reiterated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's sacred territory, and the one-China principle is the anchor for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

"To truly maintain peace in the Taiwan Straits, we must clearly oppose and stop any act of 'Taiwan independence,'" he said.

Speaking at Monday's press briefing, the spokesperson also urged G7 countries to unequivocally uphold the one-China principle.

Taiwan's return to China is an important component of the post-war international order, and to uphold the one-China principle is to defend the post-war international order, he said.

Read more:

Full Text: The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era

On business environment

In rejecting the claim in the G7 statement over what they say is "unfair, anti-competitive, and non-market practices" by China, Wang said China has been committed to creating a stable, fair, transparent and predictable business environment for foreign investors.

China is one of the most dynamic and promising markets in the world, he noted.

In one such example, the just-concluded China International Consumer Products Expo saw a record number of visits, with the six-day event hosting more than 3,382 brands from 65 countries and regions while over 2,000 overseas purchasers from 35 countries and regions coming for business opportunities.

Wang also said, some G7 members disregard the principles of market economy and fair competition, generalize and abuse the concept of national security, and do their utmost to suppress companies of other countries.

They are in no position to criticize China, he said.

The United States, citing so-called national security concerns, has imposed export restrictions on Huawei and other Chinese tech firms over the past years, and on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and technology more recently.

China: a responsible major country

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday also reiterated that China, as a responsible major country, has practiced the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, and is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"We, once again, urge the G7 to reflect on their own problems, and abandon Cold-war mentality and ideological bias," Wang said.

They should stop ignoring the trend of the world and the times, stop being condescending to other countries, stop grossly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and stop creating man-made confrontation or division in the international community, he urged.

(Cover: Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. /CFP)

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