NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
China’s foreign ministry released a statement on Wednesday condemning a joint statement between the U.S. and New Zealand, which blamed China for human rights violations.
Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said the joint statement was unfairly critical of the Chinese government and seeks to agitate its own internal affairs, Reuters reported.
U.S. President Joe Biden and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met at the White House Tuesday and released a joint statement that expressed “grave concerns” on human rights conditions in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian takes a question at the daily media briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2020.
(Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
The statement came as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is traveling around the Pacific island region, worrying the international leaders.
US MILITARY WILL DEFEND TAIWAN ‘IF IT COMES TO THAT,’ BIDEN SAYS
“The establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national-security concerns to both our countries,” it said, Reuters reported.
A J-15 fighter jet prepares to land on the Chinese navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier during open-sea combat training on Dec. 31, 2021.
(Hu Shanmin/Xinhua via AP)
BIDEN WARNS XI OF ‘CONSEQUENCES’ IF CHINA SUPPORTS RUSSIA, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
Biden and Ardern also said their two countries wanted a peaceful resolution to rising tensions in the region.
China’s foreign minister was also recently in Tonga and signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a welcome ceremony at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on May 23, 2022.
(Eugene Hoshiko/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden recently visited the region, including stops in South Korea and Japan, for his Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity tour.
