Foreign Ministry warns Washington’s confrontational mindset not conducive to peace 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at the press conference. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Editor’s note: Here are some questions and answers from the Foreign Ministry regular press conference in Beijing on July 17.

Beijing Daily: David Stilwell, the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said in his recent speech at a think tank that the US would urge all countries participating in the election of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to carefully evaluate China’s candidacy, saying that electing a Chinese official to the ITLOS was like hiring an arsonist to run a fire department. What is China’s comment?

Hua Chunying: They always resort to some sensational but deceitful lines to slander and attack China. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an important international judicial body established in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China attaches great importance to and strongly supports the work of the Tribunal and maintains good cooperative relations with it. It has been the long-standing consensus and consistent practice of the Parties to the Convention that the representation of the principal legal systems of the world and equitable geographical distribution shall be assured. 

Judges of the Tribunal perform their duties in their personal capacity. The candidate nominated by China is well versed in international law and the law of the sea and has rich knowledge and practical experience in the field of international law of the sea. He fully meets the conditions stipulated in the Statute of the Tribunal and has been approved by the United Nations Asia-Pacific Group. If elected, he will surely devote himself in making an important contribution to the work of the Tribunal and to the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes.

So far, the United States has not ratified the UNCLOS, but has always posed as a defender of it. Assistant Secretary Stilwell showed no respect to the basic rules reached by the States Parties to UNCLOS on the election of judges to the Tribunal and the practical arrangements observed by the States Parties over time. He wanted to use his aggressive words to turn the international public opinion against China and lord over the States Parties to UNCLOS. Such action is what constitutes the greatest breach and violation of the UNCLOS, the international legal order and international relations.

Bloomberg: How does China respond to a speech (on July 16) by US Attorney General William Barr, in which he claimed hackers linked to China have targeted their universities and companies in a bid to steal intellectual property tied to coronavirus treatments? And how does China respond to Barr’s additional comments that the Chinese Communist Party has used public threats of retaliation and barred market access to exert influence over US companies?

Hua Chunying: We keep stressing that China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity. China has long been a major victim of cyber thefts and attacks. Our position on cybersecurity issues is consistent and clear. We firmly oppose and fight all forms of cyberattacks and thefts.

As we’ve repeatedly said, given the virtual nature of cyberspace and the fact that there are all kinds of online actors who are difficult to trace, I must underscore the importance to have enough evidence when investigating and identifying cyber-related incidents. Groundless speculations should not be allowed. Certain US politicians are so irresponsible that they will say whatever needs to be said to make China a target. We firmly reject that. 

I am sure those who have long been following cybersecurity issues have not forgotten the PRISM program. They must have also heard of the Equation Group. Yahoo recently reported on the CIA’s secret authorization to conduct cyberattacks. The US and a few followers randomly wage cyber warfare against other countries. They are the biggest threat to peace and security in global cyber space.

I stress again that cybersecurity is a global issue that bears on the shared interests of all countries and should be jointly guarded by the international community. The confrontational mindset, reminiscent of the Cold War, will only poison the atmosphere for cooperation and will not be conducive to peace and security of cyber space.

Some US politicians seem to be alleging that China is waging cyberattacks to steal US research on COVID-19 vaccines. It’s just absurd.

We are already leading the world in vaccine R&D with top researchers. We don’t need to secure an edge by theft. As we speak, Chinese research teams are moving ahead with multiple vaccine tasks through five technical routes. Chinese IP vaccines have entered clinical trial stages. The Beijing Biological Products Institute of CNBG of Sinopharm has already built the world’s largest production facility for COVID-19 vaccines. Relevant authorities including the National Medical Products Administration of China have been working to accelerate progress on vaccine development. Besides, China has also been working actively with relevant countries on vaccine research and development, production and distribution to contribute to the global efforts toward securing an early victory against the virus.

I have also seen reports over the past couple of days on an article by leaders of eight countries including the ROK (Republic of Korea), Ethiopia and Tunisia, among others. They called on all countries to contribute to a fair and effective vaccine allocation mechanism. None of us is safe until all of us are safe. They also said that “immunization is our best chance of ending the pandemic at home and across the world — but only if all countries get access to the vaccine.” We couldn’t agree more.

As a matter of fact, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at the 73rd WHA (World Health Assembly) that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good. This will be China’s contribution to enhancing vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.

China will not act like some countries and seek monopoly or buy out vaccines and anti-epidemic medicines. Instead, we will continue working with relevant countries on vaccine research and development, production and distribution. And we will do our best to contribute to the endeavor to defeat the virus as soon as possible and safeguard people’s lives and health.

You also mentioned US officials’ claim on China’s threats of retaliation against US companies. That is typical distortion of facts and stark hegemony. Have you not seen how the US government spared no efforts to repress Chinese companies including Huawei? Have you not seen how they crossed every line, violated human rights to intimidate and arrest Chinese business executives, and coerced and co-opted its minion to illegally detain Ms Meng Wanzhou? 

I wonder if any American business has had the same treatment or experience in China? China will not go so low as the US does. Instead, we will firmly advance all-round opening-up, foster an open economy at a higher level, and create a level playing field for all businesses, Chinese and foreign alike. That said, we will never allow the US to rampantly trample on Chinese companies’ legitimate rights. We have every right to say no to bullying and injustice.

AFP: US Attorney General William Barr said China is engaged in an economic blitzkrieg and an aggressive campaign to seize commanding heights of the global economy and overtake the US. He warned that China would take advantage of globalization to spread its political ideology. I wonder if China has any comments or response on this?

Hua Chunying: Recently many US senior officials have been attacking China with groundless criticism. They are merely following a threadbare script to distort facts and deflect attention. The world has seen through their tricks. I won’t go through their allegations one by one. The following will be able to cover all of them.

Lately there has been much attention on China-US relations with many concerned about the prospects of a deteriorating turn. I note the following comment from an academic: the US is pressing the accelerator to trash China-US relations, while China is putting the brakes on it.

Indeed, some in the US, driven by ideological bias, have been sparing no effort to paint China as a rival or even adversary, smear and attack China, and encircle and contain its development. They have been politicizing normal people-to-people and cultural exchange, and weaponizing economic, trade and tech cooperation. 

Simply put, attacking China is their panacea to deal with every domestic political issue. Galvanized solely by self-interest, they won’t even hesitate to hold domestic public opinion, China-US relations and international order hostage. Possessed by such evil, they are on the brink of losing their mind. Their short-sighted act of drinking poison to quench thirst is causing great harm to the US and the world.

With its most advanced and cutting-edge medical technology and resources, the US still managed to make itself the most seriously hit country in the world by COVID-19 with the highest number of infected and fatal cases. Just the other day, four former US CDC directors spoke up against the unprecedented politicization of science issues in the country. Even Dr Anthony Fauci, leading expert and director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been targeted by blame-shifting. A real-life House of Cards is on in Washington, with people’s lives and social cohesion at stake. This is the American people’s misfortune.

China never intends to challenge or replace the US, or have full confrontation with it. What we care most about is to improve the livelihood of our people. What we deem as the most important is to realize the renewal of the Chinese nation. And what we hope for most is to maintain peace and stability of the world. The US has underestimated China’s noble aspirations. Those claiming that China seeks to “surpass the United States as the world’s preeminent superpower” and to “overthrow the rules-based international system” are judging us based on their own pattern. That’s serious misjudgment of China’s strategic intentions.

China’s foreign policy on the US remains unchanged. We are willing to grow China-US relations with goodwill and sincerity. A stable China-US relationship not only serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but is also necessary for upholding world peace and stability. It is also our due responsibility as the world’s top and second largest economies and UN Security Council permanent members.

To achieve that goal, China and the US must work in the same direction, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, follow international law and international rules, and engage in equal-footed dialogue and consultation. As an independent country, China has every right to uphold its sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguard the achievements that the Chinese people have made through hard work, reject any bullying and injustice imposed on it, and counter malicious slandering and vilifying attacks by the US.

State Councilor Wang Yi, when addressing the China-US Think Tanks Media Forum, made three propositions on how to set things right and get China-US relations back on the right track: to activate and open all the channels of dialogue; to review and agree on the lists of interactions; and to focus and cooperate on COVID-19 response. We hope the US can return to rationality, adopt a more objective and cool-headed perspective toward China, formulate more rational and practical China policies, and act like a responsible major country to live up to its people’s mandate and stand the test of history.

China Review News: US Secretary of State Pompeo said in a recent interview that the US government is morally superior to Beijing, saying that the US secures infinitely more freedom for its citizens. Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: Is that so? He’s like the “emperor in his imaginary new clothes”, completely immersed in his own world. Please give (George) Floyd and other African Americans the freedom to breathe first.

The Paper: When asked in an interview about the Trump administration considering putting travel bans on all members of the Chinese Communist Party, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US government is thinking about pushing back against China and the president and their team are working their way through this. The White House spokesperson said that “we keep every option on the table with regard to China”. Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: We noted that Chinese people have reacted strongly to … reports (on July 16) that the US government is weighing travel restrictions on all CPC members. Many say that they are Chinese Communist Youth League members and Young Pioneers, and some others say they don’t even care to go to the US as it has come to where it is today.

The US government hasn’t clarified if the reports are true. If they are indeed true, the US is in fact standing in opposition to the 1.4 billion Chinese people, who account for one fifth of the world’s total population, and is ridiculously acting contrary to the wishes of the Chinese people and its own people.

The leadership of the CPC is the defining nature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is under the leadership of the CPC that the Chinese people achieved independence, freedom and liberation, and continuously made enormous progress in national development. Practices have proven that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has lifted 1.4 billion Chinese people out of poverty and backwardness, another major contribution the Chinese nation has made to the cause of human progress. 

No country, individual or force has any right to negate this path that is chosen by the Chinese people and proven correct by facts. China will unswervingly and unstoppably forge ahead along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

As to whether the US will remain open and inclusive, or choose to isolate itself behind a locked door from the outside world, this is a choice left to the US people and government. The world is watching as it makes a choice.