Washington is “in no position to point fingers” at Beijing, Foreign Ministry official Wang Wenbin has argued
Wang Wenbin gestures during a regular press conference in Beijing, China, May 9, 2023 © AP / Mark Schiefelbein
The US has blatantly violated international law while imposing its own rules upon the world by force, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has claimed. The comments followed reports that Washington and its allies are planning to use an upcoming G7 summit to demand that China “act responsibly.”
During Wang’s regular press briefing on Thursday, a journalist with China’s Global Times mentioned speculation that G7 leaders will ask Beijing “to abide by international rules” when they meet in Japan later this month.
Issuing a lengthy response, Wang began by asserting that “for the overwhelming majority of countries in the world” the term “international rules” means the basic standards of relations enshrined in the UN Charter.
“However, when the G7 talk about international rules, they mean the Western rules,” he continued. “Those rules serve the vested interest of very few countries, including the G7, rather than the common interests of the international community.”
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While asking China to abide by these rules, the US has walked away from 17 international organizations and treaties, “spied indiscriminately” on its allies and enemies alike, “strong-armed countries diplomatically, and applied economic coercion and military interference,” Wang contended.
“The US has blatantly invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, and other countries that are smaller and weaker than the US, killing and displacing tens of millions of innocent civilians,” the official added. “When it comes to international rules, the US’s place is in the dock. It is in no position to point fingers at other countries.”
It is unclear which report the Global Times journalist was referring to. However, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported last week that the G7’s joint communique – usually released following summits – would include an entire section urging China to “act responsibly” regarding its claim to Taiwan and its relationship with Russia.
The communique’s language will likely mirror that of a joint statement by G7 foreign ministers released last month. In that statement, the ministers accused Beijing of human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, denounced its claims in the South China Sea, and demanded that it act “as a responsible member of the international community.”
Chinese officials have repeatedly dismissed such messages from the West, and Wang has previously declared that Beijing will not listen to accusations from a country that commits “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
