USA: After an American official criticised China for pursuing "aggressive" policies, Beijing denounced Washington as the "top disruptor" on the international stage and claimed that the US seeks to "hegemonize" other countries.
The People's Republic of China has been accused of trying to "reshape the rules-based international order," according to recent comments made by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked to comment on this during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The US is the biggest disruptor of international rules and order, as fully demonstrated by facts. Wang stated that "the US, not China, undermines and tramples on international rules," adding that "hegemony is the hallmark of its approach to international affairs.
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The spokesman continued by citing "abuses" by the US military in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as well as the use of sanctions for "coercion," "looting," and "exploitation," alleging that American foreign policy has been "sowing discord and igniting conflict all over the world."
Washington's involvement in Ukraine also demonstrates that it is "a source of trouble rather than a 'defender of peace' for the world," according to Wang, who also pointed out that the US has supplied the Ukrainian battlefield with the most weapons of any other nation.
It "makes people wonder... whether the US finds it conscionable to tell the world it wants peace and yet sit and watch its defence industry lining their pockets," the speaker continued.
The senior diplomat frequently mentioned the "challenges" posed by Beijing in his remarks on China, which he made earlier this month at a gathering hosted by the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, DC.
We already knew that the PRC poses the most pressing geopolitical challenge of our time and will put American diplomacy to the test more than any other issue in recent memory. She accused China of having "aggressive" foreign policy, saying, "We recognise that the PRC is the only competitor with the intent and means to reshape the rules-based international order.
After a Chinese high-altitude balloon entered US airspace in late January, Sherman also charged the People's Republic with "a clear violation of our national sovereignty and international law," but Wang denied the craft was used for espionage.
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He added that US President Joe Biden "gave the order and US fighter jets blatantly shot down the Chinese airship despite China's repeated communications, the US turned a blind eye to the plain facts and spun the'spy balloon' narrative. Another illustration of US hegemony can be found here.
Over the past year, tensions between the US and China have significantly increased, with things getting worse quickly after Nancy Pelosi, the then-US House Speaker, visited Taiwan last summer.
The Biden administration has also conducted nearly monthly transits of the disputed Taiwan Strait with US warships, despite repeated warnings from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a part of its sovereign territory. This is in addition to a new round of sanctions imposed over the balloon incident.