Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met collectively with the foreign ministers and representatives of nine Caribbean countries that have diplomatic ties with China in Beijing on Monday.
The foreign guests from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago are in the Chinese capital to attend the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum scheduled for Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum, a significant milestone to build on past achievements and chart the way forward for China-CELAC relations.
He said the forum has helped China and the Caribbean countries achieve mutual empowerment and shared success, while also advancing South-South cooperation and amplifying the influence of the Global South.
Wang emphasized that Caribbean countries are indispensable members of the China-CELAC Forum and that cooperation between China and the Caribbean countries has broad prospects. He called for joint efforts to advance and consolidate the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Caribbean countries.
The Caribbean foreign ministers highlighted the mutual trust and respect between their countries and China. They expressed appreciation for China's long-standing support, saying it has set an example for South-South cooperation.
Chinese FM meets with Caribbean counterparts ahead of China-CELAC Forum
Chinese FM meets with Caribbean counterparts ahead of China-CELAC Forum
Chinese FM meets with Caribbean counterparts ahead of China-CELAC Forum
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."
Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.
Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.
Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.
Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.
He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.
No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.
The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.
Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.
Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves
