BEIJING, Dec 12 (CGTN) - A Chinese spokesperson on Monday said that China firmly opposed the Group of Seven (G7) countries interfering in its internal affairs. The remarks came in response to a recent statement by the G7 foreign ministers expressing concern over China's domestic policies.
The joint statement, issued by the UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, Chair of the Liverpool G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting on Sunday, expressed concerns over Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and situations in the East China Sea, the South China Sea and across the Taiwan Straits.
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily press briefing in Beijing that China's positions on these issues were consistent and clear, urging the G7 to desist from deliberate tarnishing of China's image and hurting its interests.
Wang pointed out, the U.S. and UK together have about 5 percent of the world's population with most advanced economy and medical technology but 23 percent and 18 percent of the global COVID-19-attributed infections and deaths respectively.
"We urge countries such as the U.S. and Britain to uphold the right to life and health of their people and make efforts to prevent more people from losing their lives due to the pandemic, instead of talking about democracy and human rights in the international arena," said the spokesperson.
Wang also urged the U.S., UK and other countries to abandon arbitrary detention of other countries' citizens, unreasonable suppression of certain companies, and arbitrary coercive measures such as illegal unilateral sanctions.
He called for creating an open, inclusive, transparent and non-discriminatory international trade and investment environment, and respect other countries' legitimate development rights and interests.
"We urge the U.S. and the UK to abandon the cold War mentality, correct the practice of drawing ideological lines, practice genuine multilateralism, and do something useful to uphold international solidarity and jointly tackle global challenges, rather than divide the world and erect artificial obstacles to solving various problems facing mankind," Wang added.
The Chinese embassy in Britain on Monday also voiced strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the statement.
In their statement, G7 foreign ministers also expressed concern about "coercive economic policies" of China. The spokesperson of the Chinese embassy stressed the accusation is totally groundless.
"Speaking of 'coercive economic policies', who imposed economic embargo and blockade on China in the 1950s and 1960s, and who waged trade war against China and mounted pressure and restriction on Chinese companies in recent years? The relevant country should answer these questions first and stop putting the blame on the victim!" The spokesperson noted.
The time when G7 monopolized international affairs and bullied other countries at will has long gone, the spokesperson warned.
The spokesperson urged the relevant countries to observe international law and the norms governing international relations with the UN Charter as the basis, and stop discrediting China, interfering in China's internal affairs and provoking troubles in the relations between China and other countries. "These attempts will never succeed!"
