Minister Wang Yi responds! There are three issues that China is particularly concerned about! On June 6th, our Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a telephone conversation with French Foreign Minister Barro at his request. This phone call was the first communication between the Chinese and French foreign ministers since President Macron's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue. In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, there were at least three aspects that targeted us.

These three aspects were comparing the Taiwan issue to Ukraine; asking us to exert pressure on North Korea; and if we did not take relevant actions, Macron implied that NATO would increase its presence in Asia. Taking advantage of this phone call, our foreign minister also spoke frankly, expressing our position directly to the French foreign minister. First, Minister Wang Yi stated that the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair and fundamentally different from the Ukraine issue, believing that France will implement its commitment to the One-China principle.

Secondly, it is hoped that France will maintain the correct stance and oppose NATO's interference in the Asia-Pacific region. Thirdly, China and France should jointly uphold multilateralism and oppose unilateral hegemonic behavior. Clearly, although our foreign minister did not directly name the United States this time, our attitude on the Taiwan issue and the issue of NATO's Asianization is very clear. By giving a clear statement, we hope that France will not misjudge our position.

Opposing unilateral hegemonic behavior refers to the trade war initiated by the United States. Of course, we also understand very well that France does not want to choose sides between China and the United States. France's strategic vision is to form a new Euro-Asian alliance to ensure its own interests. However, defending free trade is essentially defending France's interests. In July, the 50th anniversary summit of China-EU establishment will be held. We believe that France will also give a clear response on issues of concern to China.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834234580363338/

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