Beijing [China], February 11 (ANI): The Quad is a tool for containing and besieging Beijing to maintain US hegemony and the mechanism aims to stoke confrontation and undermine international solidarity, said China on Friday after Foreign Ministers of Quad countries held a meeting in Australia, stressing adherence to international law to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order in the South and East China Seas.
“I want to stress that as the Cold War is long over, the attempt to forge a so-called alliance to contain China wins no support and leads nowhere,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry.
“Relevant countries should abandon the antiquated Cold War mentality, correct the wrong approach of bloc confrontation and geopolitical games, and contribute to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” Zhao added.
The spokesperson further informed that China believes that the so-called Quad group cobbled together by the US, Japan, India, and Australia is essentially a tool for containing and besieging China to maintain US hegemony. “It aims to stoke confrontation and undermine international solidarity and cooperation.” It came after Quad countries on Friday during the fourth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Australia reiterated the importance of adherence to international law to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order in the South and East China Seas.
“The Quad recognizes that international law, peace, and security in the maritime domain underpins the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,” said the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States in a joint statement after the Quad Foreign Ministers‘ Meeting in Melbourne on Friday.
“We reiterate the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas,” the statement added.
Australia hosted India, Japan, and the United States for the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Melbourne on Friday, where top diplomats sought to bolster cooperation in areas including economy, security, COVID-19 pandemic, and free and open Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
Beijing urges Japanese politicians not to harm China’s sovereignty after Shizo Abe held talks with Taiwanese President
Beijing [China], February 11 (ANI): Beijing has urged Tokyo not to harm China’s sovereignty after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a telephonic conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. China firmly opposes official interaction in any form between countries having diplomatic ties with China and Taiwan,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday during the regular press conference.
“We solemnly urge certain Japanese politicians not to harm China’s sovereignty in any way and not to send wrong signals to “Taiwan independence” forces in any way,” Zhao added. The Chinese official also warned Taipei against its attempts to gather foreign support to advance its agenda.
“We also have this solemn warning to Taiwan authorities: all attempts to advance its agenda by soliciting foreign support are doomed to fail,” said Zhao.
It came after Taiwan recently confirmed that Tsai Ing-wen and Shinzo Abe had a phone conversation in January, during which she thanked Abe and the Japanese government for their support to Taiwan.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that “Taiwan‘s independence” means war. (ANI)
