U.S.-Europe cooperation should not target third party: FM spokesperson

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday said that cooperation between the United States and Europe should not target any third party.

Mao made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on accusations launched against China coming out of the fourth high-level meeting of the U.S.-EU Dialogue on China earlier this month.

"China firmly rejects the U.S. and the EU's interference in China's internal affairs and smears against China," Mao said in response.

While the U.S. and the EU say they will focus on "protecting the centrality of the UN Charter", it is the U.S. and some European countries that have ignored principles in the UN Charter such as peaceful settlement of international disputes and no interference in countries' internal affairs, and have interfered in China's internal affairs and even waged wars against sovereign countries like Iraq and Syria in the name of human rights, Mao said.

"If anyone wants to discuss economic coercion, the U.S. has publicly coerced countries to stop using equipment made by Chinese companies and halt cooperation with China," said Mao.

The U.S. has introduced the CHIPS and Science Act, engaged its allies in economic bullying against China and sought to decouple from China and cut China off supply chains. The U.S.'s Inflation Reduction Act forces European companies to relocate their production lines to America. All of those are defining examples of economic coercion, she said.

"U.S.-EU cooperation should not target any third party, still less seek to make an issue of China or stoke confrontation," said Mao.

As major forces in the world, the U.S. and the EU need to demonstrate responsibility and do more things that are conducive to world stability and prosperity, she added.