On the 14th, Democratic Senator Menendez, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Senator Graham led a delegation to visit Taiwan and meet with Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen. On the 15th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and the Eastern Theater issued a warning to the United States on the same day.
On the 12th, the US State Department released the so-called "2021 Country-Specific Human Rights Report", which pointed out the human rights situation in nearly 200 countries and regions around the world, including China. On the day of the report's release, there was a shooting on the New York subway. So far this year, more than 10,000 people in the United States have lost their lives to gun violence. The Foreign Ministry spokesman asked the United States, is this figure not worthy of vigilance?
Following the recent talks held in Tunxi with the visiting foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar, Wang Yi had a telephone conversation with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pei Qingshan on the 14th. Wang Yi stressed that the Cold War mentality should not be allowed to return to the region, and the Ukrainian tragedy should not be repeated around us.
The warning is issued on the same day
Over the past period of time, the US Government and the National Assembly have repeatedly provoked the Taiwan issue, stepping up their efforts to play the "Taiwan card" in an attempt to "use Taiwan to control China" and obstruct the process of China's complete reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
After Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, postponed his visit to Taiwan due to the epidemic, on the evening of the 14th, 6 US congressmen, including Menandez and Graham, visited Taiwan.
On the morning of 15 July, when the delegation met with Tsai Ing-wen, the Eastern Theater of the People's Liberation Army organized a joint combat readiness patrol of multiple services and arms in the sea and airspace around Taiwan Island, and carried out exercises in such subjects as surprise attacks on the sea. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater, said that this operation was organized in response to the recent frequent misins of the United States on the Taiwan issue.
Screenshot of the "Eastern Theater" WeChat public account
This is not the first time the Eastern Theater has taken action against a U.S. politician's visit to Taiwan. On 9 November last year, when members of the US Congress were visiting Taiwan on a military plane, the Eastern Theater organized troops to conduct a joint combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait; a dozen days later, five US congressmen visited Taiwan, and the Eastern Theater once again patrolled the Taiwan Strait in the direction of the Taiwan Strait. On September 18, 2020, former US Deputy Secretary of State Klatch visited Taiwan, and the Eastern Theater organized a real-combat exercise near the Taiwan Strait.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference held on the 15th that "the relevant actions of the Chinese army are a countermeasure to the recent negative actions of the United States, including the delegation of congressmen visiting Taiwan." On 14 July, Zhao Lijian also sternly told the US side that it should abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three Sino-US joint communiques, stop official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, and not go farther and farther down the dangerous road.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a regular press conference on April 15
Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made a statement on the visit of US congressmen to Taiwan on the 15th. He said: This act of the US side has sent a serious wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, which is extremely hypocritical and untrustworthy. Chinese the People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to resolutely thwart the interference of external forces and the separatist plot of "Taiwan independence."
On the same day, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in response to a reporter's question that when Graham and others visited Taiwan, the DPP authorities and the "Taiwan independence" forces were in cahoots with each other, and they could not change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China and could not stop the process of the complete reunification of the motherland and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
"The Chinese side firmly opposes this and has lodged solemn representations with the US side." On 14 July, the spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in the United States also urged the US side to implement its stance of adhering to the one-China policy, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three Sino-US joint communiques, immediately stop any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, so as not to cause further damage to Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The United States is the one who should most reflect on the hypocrisy of democracy and the deterioration of human rights
In addition to talking about the Taiwan issue, on the 12th, the US State Department also released the so-called "2021 Country Human Rights Report", attacking China's political system and human rights situation. This report, full of lies and prejudices, points fingers at the human rights situation in nearly 200 countries and regions around the world, and continues to slander and smear China on Issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet.
Zhao Lijian refuted this at a press conference held on 13 July: Year after year, the US Government uses so-called human rights reports to slander and smear China, attack many countries and places in the world, and try to mold itself into a "human rights judge" and a "human rights benchmark." This just exposes the hypocrisy and double standard of the US side.
The newly concocted "2021 Country-Specific Human Rights Report" by the United States, as always, makes no mention of the human rights situation in the United States. In fact, it is precisely the United States that should reflect on the hypocrisy of democracy and the deterioration of human rights.
Internally, human rights are a blank cheque that the U.S. government has never cashed. The United States, which has the world's most advanced medical equipment and technology, has become the country with the largest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the world; externally, human rights are the fig leaf for the US government to promote hegemony. The subversive behavior and war of the United States have caused a wave of difficult immigrants, which has produced more than 20 million refugees and immigrants in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria alone. The so-called "war on terror" waged by the United States in the past 20 years has cost more than 900,000 lives.
Zhao Lijian and the People's Daily bell invariably mentioned: Instead of pointing fingers at the human rights situation in other countries, the United States should find ways to truly do something beneficial to improve the human rights situation of the United States itself and the healthy development of the international human rights cause.
In fact, the day of the release of the 2021 State Human Rights Report was a sad day for the United States. In the morning, a shooting at a subway station in Brooklyn, New York City, resulted in a sudden shooting of a 28-year-old pregnant woman, a 12-year-old child, and more than 20 innocent passengers. On the 14th, Zhao Lijian confirmed that a Chinese citizen was injured in a new York City subway shooting.
Tragedies such as the Brooklyn subway station shootings have recurred and are inextricably linked to the long-standing problem of gun proliferation and gun violence in the United States. Gun violence has become a serious human rights scourge in American society. Gun violence in the United States is on the rise, killing at least 10,362 people in the first three months of this year, and more than 115 people lose their lives to gun violence on average every day.
"We have always opposed and condemned gun violence and expressed our condolences to the injured and their families." Zhao Lijian also asked rhetorically on the 12th: Isn't such a shocking figure worthy of the us side's vigilance? Doesn't the lives and safety of its own people deserve the attention of the US side?
Don't let the Tragedy of Ukraine be repeated all around us
Following the recent talks with the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar in Tunxi, Anhui Province, Wang Yi had a telephone conversation with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pei Qingshan on the 14th.
During the call, Wang Yi said that the current situation in the South China Sea has maintained overall stability with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries. It is precisely some extraterritorial forces with ulterior motives that are afraid of chaos in the South China Sea. Continuing to maintain peace in the South China Sea conforms to the common interests of China and Vietnam. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and we should take this as an opportunity to reach an early agreement on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and provide a more solid guarantee for long-term peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Screenshot of the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Pei Tsing Shan said that Vietnam has always regarded relations with China as the top priority of its foreign policy, and is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the continuous development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Against the backdrop of the complex evolution of the international and regional situation, Vietnam is willing to work with China to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, reach a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date, and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
When the two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine issue, Wang Yi specifically mentioned that the Ukraine issue once again made Asian countries realize that maintaining peace and stability is precious, and that the addiction group has endless troubles after confrontation. We cannot allow the Cold War mentality to return in the region, and we cannot allow the tragedy of Ukraine to repeat itself.
"China and Vietnam are both socialist countries, and China is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with vietnam, resist external risks, deal with the spillover impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the region, and play an active role in maintaining the overall situation of regional peace and stability." Wang Yi said.
In fact, the vast majority of Asian countries do not want to see camp confrontation repeat itself in the Asian region. The "indefinite postponement" of the U.S.-ASEAN leaders' summit, which was scheduled to be held at the end of March, is widely regarded as an important signal that ASEAN countries are unwilling to "take sides" for the United States in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Countries such as India, as well as West Asian countries such as Israel, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, are also unwilling to follow the United States in imposing sanctions on Russia. More and more Asian countries realize that the Cold War mentality and camp confrontation run counter to the trend of the times, so they refuse to choose sides and divide the world.
Of course, some US officials still adhere to the Cold War mentality, constantly concoct the "China threat theory," and constantly create rumors and stir up normal state-to-state relations between China and other countries. On the 14th, the director of the US CIA claimed that China intends to replace the United States as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific region. In this regard, Zhao Lijian responded directly on the 15th: no interest.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Liu Lu
Source: Author: Cao Fei