BEIJING – A “political virus” is spreading in the United States, causing politicians there to take every opportunity to attack and discredit China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday (May 24) as he hit back at criticism from the US.
“This political virus uses every opportunity to attack and discredit China. Some politicians have ignored the most basic facts and created too several lies and plotted too several conspiracies towards China,” Mr Wang said.
He noted that some political forces in the US were pushing relations with China to “the brink of a new Cold War”, which risked reversing decades of cooperation, and added that both sides must find a way for peaceful co-existence.
Mr Wang, who is also State Councillor, was speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of China’s annual legislative meetings in Beijing, where bilateral relations between the world’s two biggest superpowers are an issue of focus.
His comments come as tensions soar between both countries over the coronavirus outbreak, Hong Kong’s status and other issues.
US President Donald Trump and other American officials have been stepping up provocations of China over the outbreak, referring to the virus that causes Covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus” and “Chinese virus”.
Washington has attacked Beijing’s handling of the outbreak, suggesting that it had emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, and has demanded a probe into the origins of the virus.
Meanwhile, nationalistic sentiment is brewing in China as it moves towards restarting its economy, even as Western nations continue to grapple with the epidemic within their borders.
Chinese diplomats, including its new foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, have embarked on an aggressive and confrontational mode of “wolf warrior” diplomacy – so named after a pair of patriotic blockbuster films – against the Western criticism.
Foreign policy experts both within and outside China have criticised this approach, pointing out that the bellicose attitude has only served to strain ties further with the US and affected Beijing’s international image.
Reiterating that China has no intention to change nor replace the US, Mr Wang said Beijing was willing to build a “coordinated, cooperative and stable” relationship with Washington.
The US can't change China nor stop its march towards modernisation, he added.