The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Mission to the EU on Thursday slammed the statement of the G7 foreign ministers and the EU high representative over China's Taiwan region following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island, saying it is "ugly" and "shameless," and is reminiscent of the "Eight-Power Allied Forces" that invaded China a hundred years ago.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi strongly slammed the G7 statement at the ASEAN-plus Foreign Ministers' Meetings in Cambodia on Thursday.

"The statement of the G7 foreign ministers calls white black, confuses right and wrong, and makes groundless accusations against China's reasonable and lawful measures to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. How do they have such rights? Who gives them that right?" said Wang.

He said it is the US that started and escalated the tensions across the Taiwan Straits. Its blatant provocation has set a bad precedent. "If there is no correction and no countermeasures, will the principle of non-interference in internal affairs still exist? Should international law be upheld? How should regional peace be guaranteed?" he asked.

The G7 foreign ministers and the EU high representative said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday that they are concerned by the "threatening actions by China" across the Taiwan Straits, which "risk unnecessary escalation."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a routine press conference on Thursday that the hypocrisy and ugliness of the G7 have been fully exposed, saying they have turned blind eyes to Pelosi's Taiwan visit before it happened, but now jumped out to accuse China of taking actions of justice.

"The fundamental cause of the current tension across the Taiwan Straits is that the US, who in disregard of China's strong opposition and solemn representations, connived at the visit of the No. 3 official of the US government to China's Taiwan region aboard a US military aircraft. This is a major event to upgrade the substantive relations between the US and Taiwan, seriously undermining the One-China principle as well as China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Hua.

Responding to the claim in the G7 statement that it is normal and routine for legislators from their countries to travel internationally, Hua said that China always firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the region of Taiwan and countries who have diplomatic relations with China, and the one-China principle is an important political foundation for the seven countries to establish diplomatic ties with China. The heads of the legislatures of the seven countries are supposed to follow the foreign policies that the governments acknowledge and commit to.

The G7 statement also called on China not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve differences by peaceful means.

The spokesperson of the Chinese Mission slammed the remarks, saying that it is the foreign hostile forces and the separatist forces in Taiwan who have changed the status quo across the Taiwan Straits, and smearing China cannot hide their sinister intention to separate Taiwan from China.

"What is ugly? What is shameless? The statement of the G7 foreign ministers and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is a living specimen of all that…They collude, do evil and call white black," said the spokesperson of the Chinese Mission on Thursday, noting that they should be held responsible for the many wars and instability in the world.

The Chinese Mission described the group as the new "Eight-Power Allied Forces," who invaded China in 1900. "The Chinese people have long ceased to be bullied and pushed around by foreign powers. Today's world is no longer an era in which Western powers can run amok. What to do about Taiwan is up to 1.4 billion Chinese people," said the spokesperson.

Hua said that the G7 statement gives "a feeling of a time disorder." "It is clear that these foreign ministers still think they are living in the era of the 'Eight-Power Allied Forces' more than 120 years ago," she said.

"No matter from history or reality, the G7 members led by the US are the image spokesperson of aggression and coercion. When it comes to aggression or coercion, let the G7 countries wear their own hats," she added.

The spokesperson of the Chinese embassy of the UK on Wednesday also criticized the joint statement, saying that the fundamental cause of this new round of tension and serious challenges across the Taiwan Straits lies in the repeated attempts from the US and the Taiwan regional authorities who wished to change the status quo.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island of Taiwan on late Tuesday despite repeated strong warnings from China.

The PLA has conducted important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in six large maritime areas and their air space surrounding the island of Taiwan, in its north, northeast, east, south, southwest and northwest, from Thursday noon.

Global Times