Photo: Collected
Beijing has urged the Group of Seven (G7) member countries to abandon the "bad habit" of shifting blame and start working with the international community to protect peace and promote cooperation and development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday (22 April).
"China recommends that the G7 countries change their bad habit of blaming others and shifting responsibility, immediately stop following the wrong path of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and harming their development, start protecting peace together with the international community, promote cooperation and development," Wang told a briefing.
The spokesman said that Beijing opposed "manipulation" of China-related issues "regardless of existing facts."
The diplomat also noted that the most effective way to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was to respect the One China principle and oppose Taiwan's independence, adding that efforts by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) contributed to peace and stability in the South China Sea and ensured freedom of navigation.
On Friday, the G7 countries issued the Foreign Ministers' Meeting Communique, expressing concern over the situation in the East and South China Seas and opposing "unilateral attempts" to change the status quo by force. The communique stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and called for a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue.
Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
Messenger/Mumu
