Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian firmly opposed US hegemony when asked for comments on a new survey conducted by Huanqiu.com, which showed almost 90 percent of Chinese netizens believe the US is a hegemon and bully in the Ukraine issue.

"I have noted the poll, which reflects the voice for justice of the majority," Zhao said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The ins-and-outs of the unfolding Ukraine issue are crystal clear. The moves of the US-led NATO have escalated the tension between Russia and Ukraine to the breaking point. The US, instead of taking real actions to ease the situation, has been incessantly adding fuel to the flame, heightening the conflict, forcing other countries to pick sides and creating a chilling effect of "friend or foe," Zhao noted.

What could this represent other than hegemony and bullying? he asked. 

On March 30, the official Weibo account of Huanqiu launched a series of surveys asking netizens questions like "what's the role of the US in the Ukraine issue," "how to view the US threat of sanctioning China," and what they think of the "US Indo-Pacific Strategy." 

Among the responses received by Thursday, 89.2 percent of respondents believe the US is a hegemon and bully in the Ukraine issue. Only 5.6 percent, or 672 people, think the US is fair and just, while 5.2 percent said they are not sure.

About 92.2 percent of the respondents believe that the US' threat of sanctioning China is a bullying and coercive behavior that cannot conceal its real intention. Only 4.2 percent believe the US aims at ending the war and promoting peace, and 3.6 percent said it is not clear.

Zhao pointed out that the US has also been constantly spreading disinformation to smear China and distort China's responsible position of facilitating peace talks. It harbors the agenda to shift the blame, make provocations, profit from the situation and seek space to hold down China and Russia simultaneously. "What could this be other than hegemony and bullying?"

The Ukraine issue has revealed what the US would do in pursuit of hegemony and bullying. But the list of US' practices of the same nature goes on, Zhao said. 

Holding on to the Cold War mentality, the US is obsessed with drawing ideological lines when forming closed and exclusive cliques and stoking opposition and confrontation. The real agenda is to prolong US' hegemony and power politics. Under the go-to banner of democracy, freedom and human rights, the US instigates "color revolutions" that provoke regional disputes, and goes so far as to directly wage wars against other countries that aggravate tensions in the regional and global security situation, he said, noting that the scheme is to cash in on instability for huge economic interests and geopolitical advantage. 

Willfully wielding the baton of unilateral sanctions, the US also engages in economic coercion that severely undermines the stability of global industrial and supply chains. The move aims at suppressing and containing other countries. Following international law and international rules as it sees fit, the US applies the self-claimed "rules-based order" as the "rules of the gang" to defend power politics and hegemony, Zhao said.

The spokesperson urged the US to face up to the public opinion of the world, including China, discard the Cold War and zero-sum mentality as well as the obsolete thinking of seeking its absolute security at the expense of others' at an early date, and return to the path of upholding international equity and justice. 

Global Times