Hua Chunying File photo:CGTN

 
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Tuesday lashed out at a recent tweet by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo challenging China’s status as a near-arctic country, and asked on what grounds the US constantly conducts military drills in the South China Sea, considering its distance from the region.

“The distance between the continental US and the South China Sea should be some 8,300 miles, and even Hawaii is more than 5,800 miles away. Then on what grounds should the US send military airplanes and vessels to the region to conduct frequent and intensive military drills and close-up reconnaissance?” Hua made the remarks during a routine press conference on Tuesday, responding to inquiries concerning Pompeo’s tweet on Monday.

US naval drones have conducted at least nine reconnaissance flights in December in the South China Sea and East China Sea, Hua pointed out.

In his tweet, Pompeo wrote, “It is a communist fiction for China to be a ‘near-Arctic nation’ when you are 900 miles from the Arctic. This pangolin’s nose under the Arctic tent went on for too long – we did what we do by calling out simple reality. #ChinaIsNotNearArctic”

Hua pointed out that peace and cooperation are the mainstream of the current Arctic situation. 

With climate change and the melting of Arctic ice and snow, environmental protection and sustainability issues in the Arctic are becoming increasingly prominent, and require cooperation from all parties concerned, Hua noted.

She said that it is undeniable that China is one of the countries near the Arctic. 

Geographical nature and social reality are not subject to the will of any organization or individual, and cross-regional and global issues related to the Arctic are very pertinent to China.

China values the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of Arctic countries in the region, and is willing to make positive contributions to the peace, stability and sustainable development of the Arctic.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also emphasized that relevant parties should also respect the rights and freedom of countries outside the Arctic to carry out activities in the region in accordance with laws, and respect the overall interests of the international community in the North Pole.

China wishes to work with all parties concerned to promote the sustainable development of the Arctic based on the concept of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, she said.

"I think Pompeo ignores objective facts, hypes ideology, and exaggerates security threats in the Arctic. This is inconsistent with the current major trend of the international community's strengthening of cooperation in the Arctic," Hua noted.

Global Times