HOME >> CHINA
Report of Chinese ambassador threatening Faroese leader factually wrong: FM
Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/11 20:33:10
Photo:VCG
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that a report claiming the country's Ambassador to Denmark threatened and tried to pressure the Faroese leader into cooperating with Huawei on 5G was factually wrong, noting that the days when China could not fight back in the face of smears and attacks were gone.Danish media outlet Berlingske reported Wednesday that China's ambassador to Denmark Feng Tie threatened the Faroese prime minister by indicating that a trade agreement would be dropped if the autonomous Danish archipelago did not sign a 5G contract with technology giant Huawei.
Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the ministry said at a press conference that the report has a factual error because China and the Faroe Islands haven't reached a free trade agreement, how could the agreement be dropped.
Hua made the remark in response to a foreign journalist's question on the report and told the journalist that they could better understand what "threaten" means by looking at US officials defaming Chinese companies and threatening other countries not to cooperate with specific Chinese companies.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying speaks at a daily breifing. File photo: VCG
Hua said China and the Faroe Islands have a good cooperative relationship. The meeting between Feng and Faroese officials was a normal performance of duties, where they talked about the bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Feng safeguarded the Chinese companies' legitimate rights and interests, said Hua, noting that the content of the report was wrong and made with ulterior motives.
When a BBC journalist asked if Feng talked about Huawei or possible future cooperation at the meetings with Faroese officials, Hua responded with a series of questions:"Do you think there is any difference or significance whether the officials talked about Huawei at the meeting? Given that US officials are defaming and attacking China's Huawei, can't Chinese ambassadors mention Chinese companies' names when talking about cooperation with officials in the host countries? Do you think China should still be stuck at a time when the US would smear China but the country couldn't even talk back?" Hua noted that such a time was gone and China has the responsibility to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese people and companies.
The US reportedly attempted to force North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to blacklist Chinese-built 5G technology in the name of cybersecurity at a NATO summit in London on December 3 and 4. But attempts seem to be thwarted. On Wednesday, Telefonica Deutschland decided to pick Nokia of Finland and Huawei to build its 5G network.
Posted in: DIPLOMACY