China criticises U.S. as tensions rise in South Pacific
The HinduChina on Friday criticised a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on relations between the world’s top two economic powers, saying the U.S. was seeking to smear Beijing's reputation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded that the U.S. was “essentially spreading disinformation” and “smearing China’s domestic and foreign policy.” The aim of Mr. Blinken’s speech was to “contain and suppress China’s development and uphold U.S. hegemony,” Mr. Wang said. Mr. Blinken said the administration believes China poses a major threat to the post-World War II order, even while the U.S. sees Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine as the most acute and immediate threat to international stability. “Beijing’s vision would move us away from the universal values that have sustained so much of the world’s progress over the past 75 years,” Mr. Blinken said. Mr. Blinken’s speech appeared to show that China and the U.S. were “facing a Cold War that has no big differences with the previous Cold War,” said Xiong Zhiyong, professor of international relations at Beijing's China Foreign Affairs University.