Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has suggested that the real goal of the United States’ strategy in the Indo-Pacific region is to establish a new version of NATO, warning the White House that any attempt to do so would be thwarted.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 13th National People’s Congress on Monday, Wang discouraged Washington from acting in a way that would cause instability in the region amid territorial disputes between China and other nations.
“The Asia-Pacific is a promising land for cooperation and development, not a chessboard for geopolitical contest,” Wang said.
Criticizing the US, Wang claimed the American approach is only aimed at upholding dominance through “bloc politics” in the area, which Beijing believes will undermine the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) political and economic union that is already in place.
As well as discussing regional concerns, China’s top diplomat stated that Beijing is ready and willing to play a constructive role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, offering to facilitate peace talks and work with the international community as a mediator.
“We must adhere to the principle of indivisible security and accommodate the legitimate security concerns of the parties involved,” Wang said, adding that disputes must be settled “by peaceful means through dialogue and negotiation.”
He said there was a need to “put in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.”
Alongside China’s offer of support, Wang said Beijing will work to offer support to Ukrainian people affected by the situation, with the Red Cross Society of China sending emergency humanitarian aid to the European nation soon.