Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday responded to US President Donald Trump's initiative to discuss China during the September summit of G7, as well as to invite the leaders of Russia, India, Australia and South Korea, saying that joining a group that works against Beijing is not in their interest
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday responded to US President Donald Trump's initiative to discuss China during the September summit of G7, as well as to invite the leaders of Russia, India, Australia and South Korea, saying that joining a group that works against Beijing is not in their interest.
Trump announced on Saturday that he would postpone the next G7 summit until September and hold it in an extended format. The White House spokesperson also said that Trump wanted to discuss China during the summit. On Monday, Trump shared his plans with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone conversation.
"We noticed that. China believes that all international organizations and conferences should be conducive to mutual trust between countries, multilateralism and world peace and development. This is also the aspiration of the vast majority of countries in the world. Seeking a clique targeting China is not a popular move, and it doesn't serve the interests of countries concerned," Zhao said during a press briefing, as quoted by the Foreign Ministry in a transcript.
Under the Trump administration, US-China relations have considerably soured, with Washington accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices, human rights violations in some of its regions, and encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong. China has denied the accusations and, in its turn, pointed to various violations of international law on the part of the United States.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added fuel to the fire, with the US accusing China of withholding information about the epidemic during its early stages and claiming to possess evidence that it originated in a Chinese laboratory. Beijing has been vociferously denying such accusations.
