Foreign minister accuses US of bullying China with sanctions

Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the United States on Wednesday of repeatedly imposing unilateral sanctions to suppress China, vowing such bullying and hegemonic behaviors would be crushed by wheels of history.

His comments came as the US slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaic cells and others on Tuesday.

For some time, the US has launched the Section 301 investigation targeting Chinese maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors. It has also imposed sanctions on nearly 60 Chinese entities and revoked certain licenses for exports to Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Wang said the US frequently imposing unilateral sanctions, abusing Section 301 investigation to suppress China's normal trade and economic activities are the most typical bullying behaviors in the world.

It demonstrates that some people in the US have reached a level of irrationality in order to uphold US unipolar hegemony, he added.

Wang said Washington resorting to all means to unscrupulously suppress China does not prove its strength but rather exposes a lack of confidence.

It cannot solve the US' own existing problems but will further disrupt the normal operation of the international production and supply chains, he added.

Instead of hindering China's development and rejuvenation, the foreign minister said such moves would inspire the 1.4 billion Chinese people to work even harder.

The World Trade Organization has clearly concluded that the US Section 301 tariffs are violations of its rules and international law.

Wang said International businessmen with basic common sense hold the view that the US actions harm others without benefiting the US itself.

He slammed the US, as one of the founding members of the WTO, for not only refusing to set a good example but also leading in violating rules.

Instead of righting wrongs, the US reinforces them, he added.

Wang questioned the US: "How can the US explain the fair competition it advocates? How can it gain trust from the international community?"

Wang reiterated that unilateral acts and protectionism go against the trend of the times. At this critical moment of global economic recovery, he said the international community should warn the US not to create new troubles for the world anymore.