Q: It is learned that the US delegate hurled accusations at China on Taiwan and the South China Sea at the East Asia Summit today. What’s China’s response?

A: The accusations made by the US delegate were groundless and inconsistent with facts. We are firmly against it and will not accept it. We have made serious démarches to the US.

Let me stress that the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair which brooks no foreign interference. The biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait stems from separatist activities for “Taiwan independence” and the foreign connivance they receive. To effectively uphold cross-Strait peace and stability, it is absolutely necessary to firmly oppose “Taiwan independence”. We urge the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, stop using the Taiwan question to interfere in China’s internal affairs and take concrete actions to uphold cross-Strait peace and stability, not otherwise.

Certain non-regional country has sought to stir up trouble and incite confrontation in the South China Sea and jeopardize regional peace and stability. China has always opposed that. China and ASEAN countries are making active efforts to advance the consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea. Countries outside the region need to respect the efforts made by regional countries to develop rules and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea.

What happened at this East Asia Summit shows that the overwhelming majority of countries believe in strengthening cooperation through constructive dialogue and friendly consultation to jointly foster a regional epicentrum of growth. The US deliberately deviated from the theme of the meeting to sour the atmosphere for cooperation. This runs counter to the wish of the people in the region. It reveals the actual role of the US as a disruptor and saboteur of East Asian cooperation and regional stability. No one echoed the US’s false accusations at the summit anyway. What the US has done will only make itself look bad and backfire on itself.