BEIJING, June 2: As a responsible major country, China will continue making efforts to support the WHO's leading role in global anti-epidemic cooperation.

“International community needs to further consolidate consensus in endorsing multilateralism, increase political and financial support for the WHO, and jointly safeguard global public health security.” said a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhao Lijian here at a news conference.

The COVID-19 is a common challenge faced by all mankind and calls for a concerted international response. The international community is on the same page in fighting against the virus with solidarity and cooperation and opposing coronavirus-related stigma, he added.

About the US's allegations against China on account of Hong Kong’s affairs, the spokesperson said, these show a total disregard of facts. The US’s measures to this effect gravely interfere with China's internal affairs and undermine bilateral relations and will be detrimental to both sides. China is firmly opposed to them.

Hong Kong is part of China and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The NPC is exercising its constitutional mandate in adopting the decision on establishing and improving a legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR.

It is aimed to fill in a national security legislative gap in the HKSAR to better implement the "one country, two systems" principle and maintain Hong Kong's lasting stability and prosperity. No foreign country has any right or is in any place to interfere.

The Chinese government is determined in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, implementing the "one country, two systems" principle, and opposing external interference in Hong Kong affairs. The gross interference by the US side in this matter runs counter to international law and basic norms of international relations and is doomed to fail, he said.

The spokesperson added: Cooperation between China and the US in the areas of economy, trade and education is for mutual benefit and win-win results. For some time, the US has been purposely oppressing Chinese companies for no good reasons other than a far-fetched excuse of national security.

Now it is threatening US-listed Chinese companies with investigations and Chinese overseas students with visa restrictions. These severely violated the principle of market competition, went against the wish of the two peoples to carry out friendly exchanges, and will further undercut China-US economic relations and the social foundation for the overall relationship.

However, the US is still bent on blaming China and the WHO to distract the attention of its people from its own botched response to the pandemic. This practice shows no decency and will not succeed in hiding the truth from the public.

China and the US both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. China is committed to working with the US to develop bilateral relations featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. In the meantime, China will resolutely defend its own sovereignty, security and development interests.

No words or actions by the US that hurt China's interests will go without meeting firm counterattacks. The US will never have its way in containing China's development.

We urge the US to immediately correct its mistakes, discard its Cold-War mentality, zero-sum game mindset and ideological prejudice, cautiously and properly deal with the relevant issues, and halt its steps down the erroneous path, the spokesperson added.

INP/JAVED