KABUL (BNA) Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu delivered a thinly veiled criticism of the United States on Sunday, saying “some countries” liked to force their rules on others in its “rules-based international order”.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, Li said “It likes forcing its own rules on others,” adding, “Its so-called ‘rules-based international order’ never tells you what the rules are and who made these rules.” according to media reports.
“It practices exceptionalism and double standards and only serves the interests and follows the rules of a small number of countries,” he said in a speech that marked his first significant international address since he was named China’s Minister of National Defence in March.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China in a speech at the security meeting in Singapore on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over their differences.
He vowed that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo in Taiwan. Reuters reported.
The ties between the countries have been strained over a range of issues, including democratically ruled Taiwan, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and President Joe Biden’s restrictions on semiconductor chip exports.
Li in his speech said that conflict with the United States would be an “unbearable disaster,” but Beijing seeks dialogue over confrontation. The comments came after Li refused to formally meet the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
W/A
