英语文摘:China firmly opposes G7's interference in its internal affairs: spokesperson

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the G7's attempt to interfere in China's domestic affairs, smear its image and harm its interests, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday.

Wang made the remarks at a press briefing regarding a statement by Elizabeth Truss, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in her capacity as Chair of the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting.

Stressing that China's positions on issues relating to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, as well as maritime issues, are consistent and clear, Wang said the Chinese side firmly opposes the G7's attempt to interfere in China's domestic affairs, smear its image and harm its interests.

"The United States and Britain are the world's most advanced economies with cutting-edge medical technology. And yet, with a combined population accounting for 5 percent of the world's total, they registered 23 percent of all COVID-19 cases and 18 percent of fatalities," Wang said.

"We urge them to strive to protect their people's right to life and health and prevent further loss of lives to the pandemic instead of selling hollow rhetoric about democracy and human rights around the world," he added.

"We urge the United States, Britain and others to stop adopting coercive means such as arbitrary detention of foreign citizens, wanton suppression of certain companies, and flagrant illegal unilateral sanctions, work to foster an open, inclusive, transparent and non-discriminatory international trade and investment environment, and respect other countries' legitimate development rights and interests," Wang said.

They should discard the Cold War mentality, stop drawing ideological lines, practice true multilateralism, and contribute to safeguarding international solidarity and jointly addressing global challenges, instead of dividing the world and setting up barriers to thwart concerted efforts to confront problems faced by humankind, said the spokesperson.