China calls on US, Japan to stop interfering in Beijing’s domestic affairs

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on the United States and Japan to immediately halt their interference in the country’s domestic affairs and stop harming Beijing’s interests.

The plea was made after US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga issued a joint statement following a meeting on Saturday and expressed concern over issues concerning Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), the Diaoyu Islands, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.

“We urge the US and Japan to take China's concern seriously, abide by the one-China principle, and immediately stop meddling in China's domestic affairs and harming Chinese interests,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.”

Stressing that Chinese Taipei and the Diaoyu Islands are both Chinese territory, the spokesperson said issues relating to Hong Kong and Xinjiang are purely Beijing's internal affairs and that China has indisputable sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and waters around them.

The spokesperson said Beijing “deplores and rejects” the joint statement by the US and Japanese leaders as a gross interference in China's domestic affairs and a severe violation of basic norms governing international relations.

Beijing censures 'too negative' US policy toward China

A top Chinese diplomat has denounced as “too negative" the US policy toward his country, saying the Biden administration is more focused on confrontation rather than cooperation with Beijing.

Biden hosted Suga on Saturday in his first face-to-face White House summit since taking office, as part of his efforts to work further on his pledge to revitalize US alliances already frayed under his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

The two leaders reportedly addressed an array of geopolitical issues, with China topping the agenda.

During the meeting, Biden sought to present a united front with the Japanese leader to counter what he claimed to be “challenges” by China.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson censured the US-Japan alliance and said the two were in fact ganging up to form cliques and fanning bloc confrontation while talking about a “free and open” Indo-Pacific.

“This anachronistic move runs counter to the aspiration for peace, development and cooperation shared by the overwhelming majority of countries in the region and beyond,” the spokesperson said.

It will only enable the world to see with increasing clarity the detrimental nature of the US-Japan alliance, which attempts to undermine regional peace and stability, the spokesperson added.

Military activities intensify in South China Sea amid heightened US-China tensions

Tensions between the two countries have soared in recent months after the US sent warships through the strategically-sensitive Taiwan Strait, which separates self-ruled Taiwan from mainland China.

The US and China are increasingly at odds over a range of issues, including alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong, China’s territorial claims on Chinese Taipei and most of the South China Sea as well as the origin of the coronavirus. 

China hoped for an improvement in relations under Biden, who succeeded President Trump in January, but the new administration has shown no sign of backing down on hardline policies toward China.

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