08 February 2023•Update: 08 February 2023
ANKARA
Responding to US President Joe Biden’s competition remarks, China on Wednesday said Beijing would not avoid or fear competition, according to state-run media.
During a regular press briefing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing, however, opposes using it (competition) to define China-US relations, contain China’s legitimate development rights, and harm global industrial and supply chain.
China will deal with China-US relations based on mutual respect, peaceful co-existence, and win-win cooperation while defending its sovereignty, safety, and interests, Global Times quoted Mao as saying.
Mao was referring to President Biden’s Tuesday remarks when he said that Washington seeks competition, not conflict with China.
During his address to the House of Representatives, he said that the US would not shy away from competition, saying the issue should unite the nation. But in what appeared to be a reference to last week's downing of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon after it transited across much of the US, Biden said: "If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, and we did."
However, Mao called the shooting down of the balloon by the US "unacceptable and irresponsible."
On Saturday, the US shot down the suspected Chinese “spy” balloon that had been spotted above US airspace off the coast of South Carolina, and US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later said there was “no intention to send the pieces back.”
Since then, China has accused Washington of “damaging” progress made in bilateral relations by using “indiscriminate force” to shoot down the alleged spy balloon.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia last November where the two sides had agreed to maintain high-level communication.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to travel to Beijing this weekend but postponed it due to the balloon incident.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
