WASHINGTON (US) – David Stilwell, a top diplomat for East Asia, said on Thursday that China’s recent actions around the world did not reflect the behaviour of a responsible global actor. Instead, they resembled that of a “lawless bully,” he added.
In a testimony prepared for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the diplomat said the US did not ask nations to take sides. Instead, they have to stand up against China’s “malign” behaviour and protect their own sovereignty and economic interests.
He said competition with China does not mean it leads to conflict, adding that Washington sought to cooperate with Beijing in areas where their interests were the same such as Pyongyang.
He said in the past several months, there were several examples of Chinese aggression such as the violence on its mountain frontier with India, provocative moves in the South China Sea and Taiwan.
He also cited alleged Chinese attempts to obliterate Tibetan and Mongolian culture, “a continued campaign of repression and forced labour” in the Xinjiang region and the imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong undermining its freedoms.
“These are not the actions of a responsible global actor, but a lawless bully,” he said.