Following an American official’s criticism of China’s “aggressive” policies, Beijing has labeled Washington the “top disruptor” on the global stage, claiming that the US seeks “hegemony” over other nations.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked to respond to recent remarks by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who accused China of attempting to “reshape the rules-based international order.”
“The facts clearly show that the United States is the leading disruptor of international rules and order. “It is the US, not China, that undermines and tramples on international rules,” Wang said.
The spokesman went on to say that American foreign policy has been “creating division and stoking confrontation all over the world,” citing “abuses” by the US military in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, as well as the use of sanctions for “coercion,” “looting,” and “exploitation.”
The US intervention in Ukraine also demonstrates that the US is “a source of trouble rather than a defender of peace” for the rest of the world, according to Wang, who noted that the US has flooded the Ukrainian battlefield with more weapons than any other country.
“It makes people wonder… whether the US finds it acceptable to tell the world it wants peace while its defense industry lines its pockets,” he continued.
Sherman made his remarks about China earlier this month at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, DC-based think tank, where the senior diplomat repeatedly mentioned the “challenges” posed by Beijing.
“We’ve known that the PRC is the pacing geopolitical challenge of our era, one that will test American diplomacy like few issues in recent memory. “We acknowledge that the PRC is the only competitor with the intent and means to reshape the rules-based international order,” she said, accusing China of “aggressive” foreign policies.
While Sherman accused China of “clear violation of our national sovereignty and international law” after a Chinese high-altitude balloon drifted into US airspace in late January, Wang denied any suggestion the craft was designed for espionage.
