According to CCTV News, on Feb. 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to recent remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to several Latin American countries, where he also claimed to "counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the hemisphere."

Lin pointed out that the groundless comments from the US, steeped in Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, are unfounded accusations against China aimed at sowing discord between China and relevant LAC countries, which interfere in China's internal affairs, and undermine China's legitimate and lawful rights and interests. China has lodged serious protests to the US side.

He stressed that China is committed to growing friendship and cooperative ties with LAC countries under the principle of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Between China and LAC countries, there is no zero-sum and the winner-takes-all geopolitical calculations, only sincere mutual support and cooperation for shared progress.

"We never attach any strings to the practical cooperation between China and LAC countries, or target any third party. The cooperation meets the needs of LAC countries, is mutually beneficial and has delivered tangibly to relevant countries and made lives better for the local population. The US points fingers at normal cooperation between LAC countries and a third country, showing no respect for LAC countries. The overwhelming trend of China and LAC countries working together for stronger cooperation is irreversible," he said.

China supports Panama's sovereignty over the Panama Canal and is committed to upholding the Canal's status as a permanently neutral international waterway. China has never participated in managing or operating the Canal, and never ever has China interfered. The accusation that China has control over the Canal is totally groundless. The world is not blind to the truth that who is keeping the Canal neutral and thriving and who keeps threatening to "take back" the Canal, Lin added.

He also emphasized that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an initiative for economic cooperation. Since it was proposed in 2013, its cooperation areas and scope have kept expanding and the outcomes have continued to benefit people of different countries. The BRI has now become one of the most  popular international public goods and the largest-scale international cooperation platform. The BRI cooperation has delivered tangibly for people in more than 150 countries and boosted the common development of developing countries. The US attack and disruption of cooperation under the BRI once again exposes their hegemonism. "We firmly oppose the U.S. smear and sabotage of the BRI cooperation," Lin said.

Lin noted that China has been all along committed to safeguarding cybersecurity and carrying out cooperation in relevant areas based on the principle of win-win cooperation. Chinese companies have been widely popular for their advanced 5G technologies and secure and efficient services. Smearing Chinese companies and suppressing Chinese technologies will neither hold back China's development and progress nor stop its cooperation with other countries, but only cut oneself off opportunities.

There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. One hundred and eighty-three countries in the world have established diplomatic ties with China, which fully shows that supporting the one-China principle is the right thing to do and where the public opinion trends and the arc of history bends. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, which brooks no foreign interference.

The US interruption of the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and LAC countries will win no support and is doomed to fail. China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China)

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