Marco Rubio at the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal, February 2, 2025 -- public domain image
During a Q&A session on Friday, February 7, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson of the People's Republic of China Lin Jian countered the smear campaign against the country being waged by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio while travelling through Central America. Jian also spoke to the decision by Panama -- made seemingly under US pressure -- to withdraw from the Belt and Road cooperation agreement it had with the PRC.
Q: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his visit to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic from February 1 to 6, made comments concerning China, including on China’s cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the Panama Canal, Belt and Road cooperation, 5G and cybersecurity, and the one-China principle. He also claimed to “counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the hemisphere.” What’s China’s comment?
A: The groundless comments from the U.S., steeped in Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, are unfounded accusations against China aimed at sowing discord between China and relevant LAC countries, which interfere in China’s internal affairs, and undermine China’s legitimate and lawful rights and interests. China has lodged serious protests to the U.S. side.
China is committed to growing friendship and cooperative ties with LAC countries under the principle of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Between China and LAC countries, there is no zero-sum and the-winner-takes-all geopolitical calculations, only sincere mutual support and cooperation for shared progress. We never attach any strings to the practical cooperation between China and LAC countries, or target any third party. The cooperation meets the need of LAC countries, is mutually beneficial and has delivered tangibly to relevant countries and made lives better for the local population. The U.S. points fingers at normal cooperation between LAC countries and a third country, showing no respect for LAC countries. The overwhelming trend of China and LAC countries working together for stronger cooperation is irreversible.
China supports Panama’s sovereignty over the Panama Canal and is committed to upholding the Canal’s status as a permanently neutral international waterway. China has never participated in managing or operating the Canal, and never ever has China interfered. The accusation that China has control over the Canal is totally groundless. The world is not blind to the truth that who is keeping the Canal neutral and thriving and who keeps threatening to “take back” the Canal.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an initiative for economic cooperation. Since it was proposed in 2013, its cooperation areas and scope have kept expanding and the outcomes have continued to benefit people of different countries. The BRI has now become one of the most popular international public goods and the largest-scale international cooperation platform. The BRI cooperation has delivered tangibly for people in more than 150 countries and boosted the common development of developing countries. The U.S. attack and disruption of cooperation under the BRI once again exposes their hegemonism. We firmly oppose the U.S. smear and sabotage of the BRI cooperation.
China has been all along committed to safeguarding cybersecurity and carrying out cooperation in relevant areas based on the principle of win-win cooperation. Chinese companies have been widely popular for their advanced 5G technologies and secure and efficient services. Smearing Chinese companies and suppressing Chinese technologies will neither hold back China’s development and progress nor stop its cooperation with other countries, but only cut oneself off opportunities.
There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. One hundred and eighty-three countries in the world have established diplomatic ties with China, which fully shows that supporting the one-China principle is the right thing to do and where the public opinion trends and the arc of history bends. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair, which brooks no foreign interference.
The U.S. interruption of the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and LAC countries will win no support and is doomed to fail. China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.
Anadolu Agency: Panama announced it will withdraw from the Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China. President José Raúl Mulino said he instructed a 90-day notice for the withdrawal to be submitted to Beijing. What is China’s comment? Do you think the U.S. pressure has affected Panama’s decision?
Lin Jian: China firmly opposes the U.S. smear and sabotage of Belt and Road cooperation through the means of pressuring and coercion, and deeply regrets Panama’s decision to not renew the Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The BRI is an economic cooperation initiative with the participation of more than 150 countries, including over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and its outcomes have benefited people of many countries, including Panama. In recent years, China and Panama’s cooperation under the BRI has produced fruitful outcomes and continued to deliver tangibly for the two peoples.
We hope that Panama will bear in mind the overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples, steer clear of external interference and make the right decision.
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