This undated photo shows Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, (PHOTO / WWW.FMPRC.GOV.CN)

BEIJING - China urges the United States to stop using democracy as a tool to suppress other countries, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing when asked to comment on the remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the global summit for democracy proposed by the United States.

Hua said the so-called "democracy summit" put together by the United States is, in essence, drawing ideological lines and engaging in bloc politics.

It will only cause division and confrontation against the trend of the times, she added.

The United States should make a correct and objective assessment of itself and refrain from pretending to be the spokesperson of democracy, and it should not instrumentalize the issue of democracy to suppress and contain other countries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying

Hua said the key to judging democracy is whether it meets the expectations, needs and aspirations of the people and whether it delivers tangible benefits to the people.

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Hua said the United States should make a correct and objective assessment of itself and refrain from pretending to be the spokesperson of democracy, and it should not instrumentalize the issue of democracy to suppress and contain other countries.

"We hope that the US will abandon the Cold War mentality, reject the wrong approach of exclusive cliques and zero-sum game," said Hua, adding that China hopes that the United States can work with other countries to follow the principles of mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation in international relations, and promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind. 

Meng's case 'completely different' from two Canadians' cases

Meanwhile, Hua said that the case of Meng Wanzhou was completely different in nature from the cases of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

Hua's remarks came in response to foreign media reports comparing Meng Wanzhou's return to China with the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig on bail.

"The case of Meng Wanzhou is the political persecution of a Chinese citizen, aiming to suppress Chinese high-tech enterprises, while Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are facing charges of endangering national security," Hua said.

READ MORE: Foreign Ministry: Meng case was political persecution

The two defendants applied for release on bail for health reasons, Hua said, adding that based on verifications and medical diagnoses, and guaranteed by the Canadian Ambassador to China, Chinese courts approved their release on bail and ruled on the suspension of their trials, and the national security authorities were tasked to enforce the court decisions.

"We noticed that after the news came out on Saturday, many Canadian media also believed that the case of Meng Wanzhou is purely driven by political gain, free from the rule of law. Canada should not have done the United States' dirty work, and it should learn lessons from this and act in its own interests," Hua said.

"What I want to say is that the illegal detention of Meng Wanzhou is a serious mistake made by the United States and Canada, and it is high time they corrected their mistake," the spokesperson added.