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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on February 16, 2022
2022-02-16 19:11

Bloomberg: The head of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said at a public hearing on Wednesday that public broadcasters across Pacific Island countries are facing pressure from Beijing to carry Chinese government-produced content. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: The remarks by the Australian individual can by no means represent the public opinion in Pacific Island countries. This is deliberately-disseminated disinformation. Similar disinformation claiming that Pacific Island countries don’t want Chinese assistance also appeared when rioting broke out in Solomon Islands and when the volcanic eruption in Tonga caused a severe disaster. The fact, however, is that Chinese assistance and support has been warmly received in regional countries, which stands as the most vivid illustration of China and Pacific Island countries sharing weal and woe with mutual assistance.

Remarks that attempt to drive a wedge between China and Pacific Island countries will find no audience in these countries.

RIA Novosti: Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the country was moving some forces away from the border with Ukraine and from Crimea following military drills. The move comes after days of Western media competing to predict the date of an alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine. Does China see signs of military aggression from the Russian side, or does Beijing trust Moscow’s claims that troops were sent to regions near the border with Ukraine only for military drills? How does China see the current development of the situation around Ukraine?

Wang Wenbin: For days, the US has been playing up the threat of war and creating an air of tension. This has gravely impacted the economy, social stability and people’s lives in Ukraine, and added obstacles to advancing dialogue and negotiation between parties concerned. 

I noted that the Russian side recently said that the West has resorted to “information terrorism” on the Ukraine issue, and that February 15, 2022 will go down in history as the day of the failure of Western propaganda. We must point out that it is exactly the persistent hyping and dissemination of disinformation by some in the US and the West that has added more turbulence and uncertainty to the world already fraught with challenges and intensified distrust and division. We hope relevant parties can stop such disinformation campaign and do more things that benefit peace, mutual trust and cooperation.

CCTV: It is reported that on February 15, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison criticized China’s position on Ukraine and called on China to condemn Russia. Separately, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that China and Russia becoming closer and closer is a reality that impacts NATO security. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: Under the leadership of the two heads of state, China and Russia have always worked to develop long-term good-neighborliness and mutually-beneficial cooperative relationship on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries. We are always committed to fostering a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation. As is witnessed by all, the two countries have made undoubted contribution to promoting international and regional peace and development.

The international community can see very clearly who is the real trouble-maker and threat to security in the world. Self-serving acts that shift the blame on others will not only hurt one’s own country and people but also all people of the world. Such behavior will not be allowed by the force for justice and will eventually be forsaken by the trend of the times.

China advocates treating the security concerns and proposals of relevant countries in a balanced and just manner and resolving differences through dialogue and consultation to promote global strategic balance and stability. We urge the parties concerned to stop making comments that exacerbate tensions. It is immoral and very dangerous to seek selfish political gains by whipping up confrontation and spreading disinformation.

Global Times: On February 15, the US and Canada issued statements respectively one year after the release of the Declaration Against the Use of Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations published by Canada. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said one year ago, the US joined like-minded nations in sending an unambiguous message that the arbitrarily detention of foreign nationals is unacceptable and governments who engage in this practice must cease immediately. He added that the Declaration now has 68 endorsements from nations around the world, and the US urges others to support this initiative grounded in the rule of law and respect for human rights. What is China’s comment?

Wang Wenbin: How ironic it is that the US and Canada issued statements one year after the Declaration Against the Use of Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations was published on the grounds of human rights protection, when the US is keeping Afghan people’s assets as its own. This gives us a vivid example revealing the hypocrisy and double standard of the US and Canada, and helps the international community see the following facts even clearer.

First, the so-called Declaration Against the Use of Arbitrary Detention is a product of diplomatic fraud. With US’ echo and support, Canada put some countries on the list of endorsement against the latter’s will of not approving and not participating in co-signing the declaration. This fraudulent act that violates the norms governing international relations and falsifies wide endorsement has also met opposition from the countries concerned.

Second, the US and Canada stand out when it comes to arbitrary detention. Ms. Meng Wanzhou was detained by Canada for more than 1,000 days without violating any Canadian law. This is out-and-out arbitrary detention. The US is an old hand at arbitrary detention. Here are some examples. Domestically, the US arbitrarily detains innocent immigrants, separates migrant children from their families by force, and tears innumerable families apart. Internationally, the Guantanamo Bay prison only epitomizes the US’ network of secret prisons across the world. According to a human rights group, since 2001, the US has turned up to 17 military vessels into “floating prisons” and “floating Guantanamos”, where human rights tragedies keep repeating. Following the US invasion of Afghanistan, the US has set up a large number of secret prisons in Afghanistan and US allies. After it waged the war against Iraq, the US committed atrocities, torture and murder against Iraqi civilians. The scandals around torturing inmates in the Abu Ghraib prison have shocked the whole world. The label of arbitrary detention suits the US better than anyone else.

I want to stress that both the US and Canada have a disgraceful track record causing storms of protest, be it arbitrary detention or human rights violation of people in developing countries. We urge the countries to stop such hypocritical and preposterous performance, and focus on correcting their own mistakes of violating international rules and infringing on human rights, including arbitrary detention.



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