China News Service, Beijing, October 23 (Li Jingze) In response to the US's remarks urging Sri Lanka to make a decision on China's influence over Sri Lanka, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on the 23rd that the remarks were full of cold war. The thinking and hegemonic mentality have fully exposed the United States' consistent way of interfering in other countries' internal affairs and forcing small and medium-sized countries to choose sides.
On the 22nd, US Assistant Secretary of State Thompson told reporters that Secretary of State Pompeo will visit Sri Lanka next week.
The United States encourages Sri Lanka to consider the transparent and sustainable economic development options provided by the United States instead of discriminatory and opaque practices.
The United States believed that Sri Lanka had reached the time to make a choice and urged Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions, especially on the issue of China's influence on Sri Lanka.
Some reporters asked the Chinese side for comment on this.
Zhao Lijian said that the remarks of US officials were full of Cold War mentality and hegemonic mentality, which fully exposed the US's consistent behavior of wanton interference in other countries' internal affairs and forcing small and medium-sized countries to choose sides.
Zhao Lijian said that China and Sri Lanka are traditional friendly neighbors.
For a long time, the two countries have developed relations with each other based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and have carried out friendly cooperation on the basis of equal consultation, mutual benefit and win-win results, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Sri Lankan people.
We will work with Sri Lanka to unswervingly expand and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Zhao Lijian pointed out that China believes that countries, big or small, have the right to independently develop foreign relations based on their own interests.
Any attempt to prevent normal exchanges and cooperation between countries through pressure and coercion will not succeed, and will eventually be cast aside by history and become a laughing stock of the international community.
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