Beijing hits out at US, Japan for ‘collusion’

BEIJING: China on Wednesday accused the US and Japan of colluding to interfere in its internal affairs after the two countries joined forces to warn of “destabilising behaviour” by Beijing in the region.

Beijing’s response comes just a day before China’s top diplomats are set to meet top US officials in Alaska in their first faceto-face talks since President Joe Biden came to power.

But temperatures are rising ahead of the Alaska meet. On Tuesday, US and Japanese foreign and defence ministers warned against “coercion and destabilising behaviour” by China in a joint statement after high level talks in Tokyo.

“The US-Japan joint statement maliciously attacks China’s foreign policy... and is an attempt to harm China’s interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

He added that the two countries had “no right to unilaterally define international relations” or impose their own standards.

“This is just another clear example of the US and Japan working in collusion to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”

After their first stop in Japan, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Anthony Blinken arrived in Seoul on Wednesday as Washington focuses on rallying alliances with its key Asian partners to counter a rising China.

The US on Wednesday also identified 24 more senior Chinese officials it classifies as being instrumental in quashing Hong Kong’s freedoms as it warned foreign banks were now banned from doing any business with them under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act.

The report added two dozen new names bringing the total number listed to 34.