China slams US coercion accusations: FM spokesperson

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that it is not China that pursues coercion, and expressed the belief that more and more countries will uphold principles and justice and make independent choices in keeping with their own interests.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks refuting some US officials who accused China of coercing other countries.

Speaking of coercion, the first country that comes to anyone's mind is the United States, Hua told a press conference.

"We noted that responding to the remarks by Pompeo and other US diplomats coercing other countries into picking sides, relevant countries all said that they would make decisions independently as sovereign countries," Hua said.

"These all show clearly that it is not China that pursues coercion, confrontation, diplomacy of lies, or discord-sowing," Hua said. "The difference or confrontation between China and the US is not a fight for power, status or social system, but about upholding justice or spreading evil, championing multilateralism or unilateralism, advocating win-win cooperation or zero-sum game."

"We are convinced that more and more countries will keep their head up, uphold principles and justice, and make independent choices in keeping with their own interests," Hua said.