BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday refuted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks alleging that China is a threat to other countries, calling the remarks "unethical and unfair."
Pompeo said in a recent interview, "When China behaves using debt as a trap... when China engages in spying through its commercial state-owned enterprises, and presents risk through its technology systems... we want to make sure that countries know about it, know the risks, and then countries will make their own sovereign decisions."
When asked to comment on Pompeo's remarks at a routine press conference, FM spokesperson Geng Shuang said that China has always carried out cooperation with other developing countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, offering assistance within its capacity without any political strings attached.
Cooperation with and aid from China have helped these countries develop their economy and improved the livelihood of their people, and have been welcomed by them, he said.
Geng said that the China-related cooperation projects only accounted for a very small part of the debt of the related countries and regions, and no country has fallen into the so-called "debt trap" because of its cooperation with China.
"The Chinese side always demands its enterprises conduct economic cooperation in strict accordance with local laws and regulations," Geng said.
It is clear to all that the true intention of the U.S. side is to uses every means to suppress Chinese enterprises, and maintain its dominance in economy and science and technology, he said.
"This U.S. trick of 'a thief crying stop thief' is doomed to fail," the spokesperson said.
Geng urged certain U.S. politicians to correct their mindset, abandon the zero-sum game mentality of the Cold War age, view China in an objective way, and stop slandering China.