Beijing said comments by Ambassador Nicholas Burns were factually inaccurate.
BEIJING – China on June 26 hit back at remarks by the US ambassador to the country that Beijing was making it “impossible” to boost ties between Chinese and American citizens, calling them “factually inaccurate”.Beijing was trying to scupper engagement between people from the two countriesChina and the United States have tussled in recent years over a range of issues, including trade, technology, human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“They say they’re in favour of reconnecting our two populations, but they’re taking dramatic steps to make it impossible,” Mr Burns told the paper in an interview.“The relevant comments by Ambassador Burns are factually inaccurate and deviate from the important consensus reached by the two countries’ heads of state at their meeting in San Francisco,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
“They do not conform to the right path of China and the United States getting along with each other, and are not helpful for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.” Mr Burns said Chinese officials had pressured citizens not to attend 61 public events organised by the embassy since November, and tried to intimidate those who did, including with late-night interrogations at their homes.
In one case, he and other US diplomats said, a venue cited a power outage for abruptly cancelling an embassy concert, only to then host other events on the nights directly before and after.However, Ms Mao said Beijing had “worked hard to push forward cultural exchanges between” people from the two countries and urged the American side to “meet China halfway” to promote ties. AFP
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US ambassador says Beijing making US-China exchanges ‘impossible’: WSJThe envoy said Chinese officials had pressured citizens not to attend 61 public events organised by the US embassy since November.
Read more »
Philippines tells Beijing words must match actions in South China SeaMANILA — The Philippines urged China on Wednesday (June 19) to avoid actions that endanger sailors and vessels in the South China Sea, saying peace could not be achieved if China's words did not match its behaviour in the disputed waters.
Read more »
China-backed railway could be game changer as Malaysia marks 50 years of ties with BeijingKuala Lumpur has pitched an East Coast Rail Link extension stretching to Kunming via Thailand and Laos.
Read more »
Australian wine exports to China rocket after Beijing drops tariffsCANBERRA: Australian wine makers shipped wine worth A$86 million (US$57 million) to China in the month after Beijing lifted tariffs and should be confident of bumper sales going forward, the trade minister said on Wednesday (Jun 12).
Read more »
Ukrainian official in Beijing urges China to attend peace summitUkraine's first deputy foreign minister visited China on Wednesday and urged it to send a delegation to a planned summit on Ukraine this month in Switzerland, in the apparent hope it was still possible to persuade China to attend.
Read more »
Marcos sets ‘red line’ with Beijing over South China SeaManila and Beijing have had heated stand-offs over their competing claims in the South China Sea.
Read more »