Ukraine issue reveals US pursuit of hegemony, bullying: Zhao Lijian

Beijing: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday said that the Ukraine issue has revealed what the United States would do in pursuit of hegemony and bullying.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on a recent poll, which showed that nearly 90 percent of Chinese netizens interviewed believe that the U.S. position on the Ukraine issue is not fair and just, but an example of hegemony and bullying.

Noting that the ins and outs of how the Ukraine issue has evolved into what it is today are very clear, Zhao said the moves by the U.S.-led NATO have pushed the Russia-Ukraine tension to a breaking point.

Instead of taking practical actions to ease the situation, the United States has been constantly adding fuel to the fire, heightening tensions, coercing others to pick sides, and creating a chilling effect of “friend or foe,” Zhao said.

He pointed out that the United States has disseminated disinformation to smear China and distorted China’s responsible position of facilitating peace talks, attempting to shift blame, stoke confrontation, profit from the situation, and seek space for its plot to simultaneously suppress China and Russia.

Holding on to the Cold War mentality, the United States is obsessed with drawing ideological lines when forming closed and exclusive cliques and stoking opposition and confrontation. The real agenda is to prolong its hegemony and power politics, Zhao said.

Under the guise of democracy, freedom and human rights, the United States instigates “color revolutions” that provoke regional disputes, and even wages wars against other countries with the intension to cash in on instability for huge economic interests and geopolitical advantage, Zhao said.

He said the country also willfully wields the stick of unilateral sanctions to engage in economic coercion that severely undermines the stability of global industrial and supply chains. The move aims at suppressing and containing other countries.

The United States is selective in applying the rules of international law and international order, and the “rules-based order” touted by it is in essence rules that suit its acolytes.

As peace and development present an overriding trend and gain the overwhelming support, the hegemonic and bullying acts of the United States go against the trend of the times and have triggered increasingly strong opposition from the international community, Zhao said.

He urged the country to face up to international public opinion, including public opinion in China. He also urged the United States to abandon its Cold War and zero-sum game mindset, discard its outdated thinking of seeking its absolute security at the expense of the security of other countries, and take to a track of upholding international fairness and justice.