Riyaz ul Khaliq
27 May 2022•Update: 27 May 2022
ISTANBUL
China on Friday rejected remarks made by the top US diplomat, who said Beijing is "increasingly undermining" the international order.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's speech on policy toward China "spread false information, exaggerated the 'China threat,' interfered in China's internal affairs and smeared China's domestic and foreign policies," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry.
"China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the speech," Wang told a press conference in Beijing, according to Chinese public broadcaster CGTN.
Addressing the Asia Society at George Washington University on Thursday, Blinken said China is "increasingly undermining" the international order, but the US will continue to seek cooperation with Beijing "wherever we can while standing up for the rules-based order."
"We stand ready to increase our direct communication with Beijing across a full range of issues," the American top diplomat said.
"And we hope that that can happen. But we cannot rely on Beijing to change its trajectory. So, we will shape the strategic environment around Beijing to advance our vision for an open, inclusive international system," Blinken added.
The comments came as Washington continues to pursue greater consensus among its international partners to check China's actions across a range of issues, from disputes over intellectual property protections to maritime and other border disagreements, as well as Beijing's ambitions to formally control Taiwan.
"Our policy (on Taiwan) has not changed. The United States remains committed to our one-China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiques, and the six assurances. We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side," said Blinken.
"We do not support Taiwan independence, and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means. We continue to have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We'll continue to uphold our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to assist Taiwan and maintain peace sufficiently," he added.
The Taiwan Relations Act commits the US to supply Taipei with the resources it needs to defend against a potential attack, but it does not explicitly commit the US to militarily stepping in if Taiwan is invaded by China.
