Editor TLN
Published:
Jun 4, 2023 12:50 GMT
Li Shangfu lashed out at “some country” that “willfully interferes in the internal affairs of others and often resorts to unilateral sanctions,” and that also “has sparked color revolutions and ‘proxy’ wars in different regions.”
China firmly opposes the policy of imposing its will on others and the “rules-based international order” that “only serves the interests of a small number of countries”, declared This Saturday the Chinese Defense Minister, General Li Shangfu, in his first public address before an international audience since he was appointed to the post in March.
Commenting at the annual Asia-Pacific intergovernmental security conference in Singapore, known as the ‘Shangri-La Dialogue’, that the region “faces unprecedented security challenges”, Li strongly criticized “some country”. , accusing him of “sowing discord” between regional states. He stated that “some major power that continues to advance its strategy in the Indo-Pacific” is increasing the number of bases, “bolstering its military presence and intensifying the arms race in the region, as well as transferring nuclear weapons technology to a non-nuclear state.” “.
According to Li, the mentioned country “has willfully interfered in the internal affairs of others and has frequently resorted to unilateral sanctions“, and also “has caused color revolutions and ‘proxy’ wars in different regions.” “It has created concerns and turbulence and has withdrawn leaving behind a disaster. We must not allow such things to be repeated in the Asia-Pacific region,” she stressed.
“No strategy should be based on ideological motives and the goal of creating an exclusive military alliance against imaginary threats.”
In this context, he also warned that attempts to “create or promote military alliances like NATO in Asia-Pacific” is a way of aggravating the confrontation and that such attempts only plunged the region “into a whirlwind of division, disputes and historical conflicts“.
Imposing one’s own will under the guise of a rules-based international order
The Chinese minister assured that the countries of the region have to promote their common interests and resist hegemony. “Mutual respect must prevail over bullying and hegemony. Facts have shown that where there is hegemony and power politics there will be instability, chaos and even worse,” he said.
In his opinion, international affairs should be resolved through dialogue, and “not be dictated by one or a few countries” those who like to impose their rules on others under the guise of “rules-based international order.” deals with the practice of exceptionality and double standards that “only serves the interests and follows the rules of a small number of countries“.
He said the Chinese side is firmly opposed to “imposing one’s own will on others, placing one’s own interests above others, and pursuing one’s own security at the expense of others.”
“Some foreign force tries to interfere in China’s internal affairs”
In addition, the minister recalled that the Taiwanese issue is the core of Beijing’s main interests. He stressed that Taiwan is “China’s internal affair” and that it is about “a matter for the Chinese to resolve, without interference from foreign forces“.
In his words, “some great power” has repeatedly sold arms to the self-ruled island, provided it with military training and increased official exchanges, which “greatly violates his own promises“. “Some foreign force tries to contain China with Taiwan, interfere in China’s internal affairs. Let me make it clear once again: the more rampant separatist activities for Taiwan independence become, the more decisive the reaction will be,” he stressed.
He added that the island’s reunification with mainland China is “the historical trend” and that “any foreign interference will end in failure,” as the Chinese military “will not hesitate for a second” and “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and the integrity of the territory, regardless of the price.
