Beijing slams upcoming Quad Summit between India, USA, Japan and Australia
Beijing: China today said the issue of granting Chinese visas to Indians should be left to the diplomats of the two countries to discuss. “India can also talk to China if it has such needs,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said.
Recently China allowed chambers of commerce from Germany, France and Italy to bring back their employees and family members to China. However, it continues to block visas to 11 countries including India for the past 10 months.
Lijian told mediapersons that China stands ready to maintain close communication with all parties and do the work related to international travel well on the premise of ensuring effective epidemic control. Stating that the global COVID-19 situation remains grave and complicated, he said referencing the practices of other countries, China adjusts its management measures on in-bound travelers accordingly as the epidemic situation evolves.
When asked what he meant by the steps by relevant countries, and that COVID cases were in many countries, not just the 11 countries or India, he said China and relevant countries agreed to launch fast track arrangement for two-way travels related to resumption of work and production.
“This is a mutually beneficial arrangement made between China and relevant countries in light of the situation of epidemic and need for resumption of work and production,” he added.
In the meantime, China slammed the upcoming Quad summit where in the US President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Australia, India and Japan at the White House next week for discussions that will include countering China’s expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
“It is China’s consistent belief that any regional cooperation mechanism should follow the trend of peace and development, and help promote mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries rather than target a third party or undermine its interests,” Lijian said. He added that forming closed and exclusive “cliques” targeting other countries runs counter to the trend of the times and deviates from the expectation of regional countries. It thus wins no support and is doomed to fail, he asserted.
Lijian further stressed that China was not only a major engine of economic growth in the Asia-Pacific, but also a staunch defender of regional peace and stability. “China’s development is a force for world peace and a boon for regional prosperity and development. Relevant countries should discard the outdated zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical perception, view China’s development correctly and respect people’s aspiration in the region and do more that is conducive to solidarity and cooperation of regional countries,” he said.
The Chinese government also noted that Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, candidates were making frequent references to China. It may be mentioned that former Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida, one of the candidates, said yesterday that he will create the post of special adviser on human rights issues to deal with China’s alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang if elected. Earlier, Sanae Takaichi said that she would continue to visit the Yasukuni Shrine if elected. [Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan from the Boshin War of 1868–1869 through the First Indochina War of 1946–1954 – Wikipedia].
Lijian said China’s position on the Yasukuni Shrine “is consistent and clear”. He added: “China’s internal affairs cannot allow any foreign interference. Japanese politicians should stop making an issue out of China. Enough with such senseless political hype-up.”
– global bihari bureau
