Chinese envoy to US criticizes Biden admin for undermining the one-China principle with support for Taiwan secessionists
Photo: screenshot from us.china-embassy.gov.cn
During a sideline chat at the Aspen Institute Security Forum, Qin mainly elaborated China’s policy and position on its relations with the US, the Taiwan question, the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues, the Ukraine crisis and CPTPP among other issues, the Chinese Embassy in the US announced on its official website on Thursday.
On whether China and the US have entered a "new Cold War", Qin said that the Cold War is a tragedy in world history and a synonym for estrangement, division, confrontation and conflict. People are worried that the Cold War will repeat itself because some people cling to the Cold War mentality and mistakenly see China as the former threat of the Soviet Union .
“But China is not the former Soviet Union and the Communist Party of China is not the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,” Qin stressed.
China loves peace, unswervingly follows the path of peaceful development and actively promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. To see China as a threat is to pick the wrong adversary, the Chinese ambassador said.
A “new Cold War” will only have losers and no winners. It will only erect a new Berlin Wall and plunge the world back into turmoil and division with consequences the humanity cannot afford. China does not want a "new Cold War" and neither do other countries, Qin noted.
President Biden also repeatedly stressed that the US has no intention of seeking "new Cold War" with China, said Qin, noting that he hopes the US will match words with deeds, not engage in ideological confrontation or exclusion, avoid "decoupling,” or an arms race.
On the Taiwan question, Qin said that this has always been the most important and sensitive core issue in China-US relations. China loves peace and the last thing we want is for compatriots to quarrel with each other. We will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and efforts. To prevent the prospect of peace from being undermined, we must unswervingly adhere to the one-China principle, which is the political foundation of China-US relations and the cornerstone of peace across the Taiwan Straits, the ambassador stressed.
In recent years, the Taiwan authorities have refused to accept the one-China principle and pursued a "gradual Taiwan independence" with the help of the US. In the meantime, Washington has been distorting and hollowing out the one-China principle, wantonly improving its official relations with the island of Taiwan, sending senior officials to visit the island, selling Taiwan a large number of advanced weapons and making wrong remarks about "military defense of Taiwan," according to Qin.
We will not abandon non-peaceful means, not against the residents of the island, but to contain "Taiwan independence" forces, prevent external interference and safeguard the prospect of China's peaceful reunification, Qin stated.
We hope that the US will keep its words and firmly oppose and contain "Taiwan independence." “Give peace a chance, let peace win,” said the ambassador.
On the issues related to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Qin said that the so-called Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues are not about democracy, human rights, ethnic groups or religion at all, but about fighting against violence, terrorism and separatism, protecting people's lives and safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests.
Xinjiang should not be allowed to turn into another “Islamic state,” the ambassador said.
After Hong Kong returned to the motherland, decolonization should be realized, Hong Kong should be governed by patriots, and "one country, two systems" should be implemented steadily. As US President Abraham Lincoln said: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." The House of China will become stronger and stand firm, Qin said.
On the Ukraine crisis, Qin said that there are complex historical and practical reasons behind the it. When responding to the Ukraine crisis, China always makes its own judgment based on the merits of the case. China maintains that the sovereign territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be respected, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be heeded, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported. China's position is objective and fair, and the position of India, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and the majority of developing countries is similar, Qin pointed out.
At the moment, the impact of the Ukraine crisis continues to spill over, giving rise to multiple risks in the economy, energy supply, food insecurity and waves of refugees. It is imperative to achieve a ceasefire and resume peace talks, the Chinese ambassador urged. The US and NATO should also sit down with Russia for negotiations, seek solutions based on each other's legitimate concerns, and jointly build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, Qin called.
On the China-Russia joint statement in February, Qin said that China-Russia relations are non-aligned, non-confrontational and not targeted at any third country. The China-Russia joint statement states that the two countries jointly oppose a return to Cold War mentality and any incitement to ideological and geopolitical confrontation, advocate to promote democracy in international relations, maintain the purpose and principles of the UN Charter, and practice multilateralism. In this regard, China's cooperation with any country can be endless. If the US is willing to make joint efforts with China to this end, we certainly welcome them, Qin noted.
