Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that it will not work for the US when it seeks China's support and cooperation while brandishing the big stick of sanctions against China, urging the US not to undermine China's legitimate rights. If the US insists on going its own way, China will take strong countermeasures, the spokesperson said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at Wednesday's regular briefing in response to questions about State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno via a phone call.

Wang held a phone conversation with the Spanish FM on March 14 in which Wang noted that China always opposes the use of sanctions to solve problems, let alone unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law, as such moves undermine international rules and harm people's wellbeing in all countries.

China is not a party directly involved in the Ukraine crisis, and it doesn't want to be affected by sanctions even more, Wang noted.
 
Zhao stressed that sanctions are never an effective way to solve problems and China opposes any form of unilateral sanctions or long-arm jurisdiction by the US and will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.  

Zhao said that there have been a lot of provocative comments from the US recently. For example, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that China would face significant consequences if it aids Russia. Psaki said that the G7 makes up 50 percent of the world's economy, while China and Russia account for only 25 percent of the world's economy.

The US' remarks are outright bullying and coercion, and they expose the deep-seated Cold War mindset, zero-sum game mentality of the US government, which is another product of the US philosophy of "position of strength," according to Zhao.

On the Ukraine crisis, China has always taken an objective and impartial attitude and made its judgment based on the merits of the matter itself. China has always called for dialogue and negotiation to help de-escalate the situation and put forward proposals to defuse the current crisis, Zhao said. 

It is irresponsible and immoral to erase China's efforts and distort China's intentions and fabricate disinformation to smear China, Zhao noted.