China calls on Europe to unite against ‘extremist’ US forces
- We never talk about ‘China first’, Chinese foreign minister says in Paris on second-last stop on European tour
- French counterpart raises concerns about human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang
In a rebuke to US President Donald Trump’s “America first” slogan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience in Paris on Sunday that “we never talk about ‘China first’”.
“At present, China-US relations are in the gravest situation since diplomatic relations began … [with the US] publicly coercing other countries to take sides and attempting to push Sino-US relations into conflicts and confrontations,” Wang said in a speech at the French Institute of International Relations.
“At this critical juncture of human development, on the basis of responsibility for the fate of human destiny, China and the EU should jointly resist any countercurrents inciting hatred and confrontation.”
The team of Joe Biden, the Democratic Party candidate for president, has also floated plans to work with European counterparts should he defeat Trump in the November election.
