Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Photo:the official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry

China resolutely opposes the US and the EU to interfere in China's internal affairs and to slander China, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday in response to remarks related to China made during the fourth high-level meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China.

The fact is that the US and several European countries are ignoring the UN Charter and interfering in the sovereignty of other countries, Mao said.

On December 1, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino met in Washington at the fourth high-level meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China, according to the EU's official website.

The two sides expressed particular concern and opposition to China's recent and ongoing economic coercion related to a number of international economies. Sherman and Sannino reiterated their "serious concerns" about the human rights situation in China, including Xinjiang, Xizang, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong, calling urgent attention by the international community at large.

They also discussed China's activities and initiatives in multilateral fora, noting that US and EU objectives will continue to focus on protecting the centrality of the UN Charter.

Mao said that the US and Europe emphasize the centrality of the UN Charter, but it is the US and a number of European countries that have ignored the principles clearly stipulated in the charter to peacefully resolve international disputes and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and interfered in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, and even act violently against Iraq, Syria and other sovereign states.

The US openly threatens other countries not to use equipment produced by Chinese firms or cooperate with China, and this has constituted real economic coercion, Mao said, adding that the US also introduced the CHIPS and Science Act, rallying its allies to decouple with the Chinese economy, and used the Inflation Reduction Act to force European companies to transfer their production lines to the US.

As a responsible member of the international community, China has always been a contributor to world peace, global development and a defender of the international order. This is widely recognized by the international community, Mao said.

The US and the EU should not target any third party in their cooperation, not make an issue of China or provoke confrontation. Both the US and the EU are important forces in the world and should do more to contribute to world stability and prosperity in a responsible manner, she remarked.

Global Times