Q: During the visit to Solomon Islands from August 6 to 8, US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman made comments in defense of U.S. Speaker of House of Representatives Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, claiming that China's countermeasures were “over-reaction” and China's suspension of discussions with the US about climate change was “irresponsible”. She also criticized the lack of transparency in security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands. What is your comment?

A: The relevant remarks by the U.S. officials are nothing but blatant hegemony logic, which confounds black and white and exposes once again the hypocrisy and double standards of the U.S.. Speaker Pelosi, in total disregard of the firm opposition and repeated representations of the Chinese side and with the condonement and arrangement of the U.S. government, went ahead with the visit to China's Taiwan region. This reckless and provocative move seriously undermined China's sovereignty, seriously interfered in China's internal affairs, seriously violated the commitments made by the U.S. side, and seriously jeopardized peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It is only natural that China made firm response. Our position is justified, reasonable and legitimate; our measures are firm, strong and measured; and our military exercises are open, transparent and professional. They are consistent with domestic and international laws, as well as international practices. They are aimed at sending a warning to the perpetrator and punishing the "Taiwan independence" forces.

The causes of the tensions in the Taiwan Strait are crystal clear, so are the merits. It is the United States that stirred up the trouble; it is the United States that created the crisis; and it is also the United States that kept escalating tensions. The blatant U.S. provocation has set a nefarious precedent. If this is not corrected or countered, how could the principle of non-interference in internal affairs be upheld? How could international law be defended? How could peace in the region be ensured? The Chinese side has made maximum diplomatic efforts to avoid this crisis which was imposed on China. Nonetheless, we will never allow any damage to China's core interests and national rejuvenation, and we will never condone any attempt to create tensions, stoke confrontation and instigate division in the region. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is a part of China. This has been the status quo of the Taiwan Strait for decades. However, this status quo has indeed been broken. The perpetrators are not China, but the United States and the separatist forces in Taiwan.

The U.S. Government support and connive Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region. It seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. China has to suspend China-U.S. discussions on climate change. The U.S. cannot represent the whole world. To suspend the discussions with the U.S. doesn’t mean to suspend cooperation with developing countries. Actually, China delivered much more than the U.S.. Developed countries should deliver on the pledge of providing 100 billion US dollars to developing countries and provide more technical support to help the latter address climate change. China as always attaches great importance to and actively participates in international cooperation on climate change. China is firmly committed to a full and faithful implementation of carbon dioxide peaking and carbon neutrality. China vigorously engages in international cooperation through the major channel of dealing with climate change and provides assistance and support within its means to other developing countries to tackle climate change, thus making great contributions to the global response.

For the security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands, China has stated its position loud and clear. During his visit to Solomon Islands in May 2022, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi expounded on three principles on this matter. The first principle is to fully respect the national sovereignty of Solomon Islands. The second one is to help maintain social stability of Solomon Islands. The third one is in parallel with regional arrangements. As two sovereign and independent countries, China and Solomon Islands are committed to normal law enforcement and security cooperation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit. It is in the interests of Solomon Islands and other regional countries. The sovereign cooperation should be duly respected. China has repeatedly stated its position that China-SI security cooperation is legitimate, lawful and irreproachable. On the contrary, the trilateral security partnership among the U.S., the UK and Australia (AUKUS) is neither open nor transparent. It is totally an under table operation, which has been widely questioned by Pacific Island countries and the international community. It once again shows that the U.S. accusation against China is based on double standards and hypocritical.