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Beijing reacts to Biden and Macron’s statement on ‘China’s challenge’ to international order
- Chinese foreign ministry tells United States and France not to ‘make an issue of China’
- Comments come after US President and French counterpart mention ‘concerns’ about Taiwan and human rights
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The relationship between the United States and France should not harm the interests of a third party, the Chinese foreign ministry said following a meeting between the two countries’ leaders.
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the comments on Friday following the release of a joint statement from Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron that said their countries would cooperate to address “China’s challenge” to the international order.
“China is an opportunity for the world,” Zhao said. “Neither the United States nor France should make an issue of China.”
Biden and Macron released the statement after a meeting at the White House on Thursday. The document covered a range of topics, from the war in Ukraine to supply chain issues.
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The statement said the two countries would “coordinate on the concerns regarding China’s challenge to the rules-based international order, including respect for human rights …[and] the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
It also said the countries would cooperate with Beijing on important global issues such as climate change.
The statement said the US and France were committed to strengthening their partnership in the Indo-Pacific region to “advance prosperity, security and shared values based on a rules-based international order”.
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