Zhao Lijian tells Washington a ‘liberal’ world order is not doing whatever you want

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday questioned U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent remarks on the “liberal” world order Washington pursues, stressing that being liberal is not doing whatever the U.S. wants.

“Secretary Blinken said the U.S. is seeking to build an imperfect but liberal order. But what does that mean?” Zhao questioned. “Does that suggest that the U.S. can do whatever they want but other countries can only listen to them and follow whatever they’re doing?”

“Or does that suggest that the U.S. can attack any sovereign countries militarily at its will, but these countries can only bear all these?” he asked.

Zhao also reiterated China’s stance on maintaining the international order based on the UN Charter and international law, adding that China has continued to support multilateralism.

And that’s the recognized international rule and order that the vast majority of countries support and benefit from, Zhao said.