China upset by ‘groundless accusations’ of US Republican Party on South China Sea and Tibet

China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the US Republican Party to stop making “groundless accusations” against Beijing in its party platform, which says China practises cultural genocide in Tibet and has ludicrous claims in the South China Sea.

The Chinese government has generally avoided making direct comments about the election, wary of being seen to interfere, although in April China’s Finance Minister Lou Jiwei called Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump an “irrational type” due to his tariffs proposal on imported Chinese goods.

In an English-language statement issued via the Xinhua news agency on Thursday, the ministry said the Republican platform contained “accusations about China on issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, trade and the South China Sea” and were an interference in China’s internal affairs.

“All political parties in the United States should view China’s development in an objective and rational manner and correctly understand the issues that emerge in bilateral ties,” the ministry said.