Ministry: Countries' cooperation should promote rather than undermine stability

Cooperation between countries should help promote regional peace, stability and prosperity instead of forming cliques that exclude others, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

The remarks came after the White House announced on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden will travel in May to South Korea and Japan and will also meet in Tokyo with the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue grouping of Australia, Japan, India and the United States.

"This trip will advance the Biden-Harris administration's rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to US treaty alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan," the White House said in a statement.

Wang, at a regular news briefing in Beijing, said, "China believes that country-to-country cooperation and regional initiatives should keep with the trend of the times and people's aspiration and should not undermine the mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries."

Wang said that the so-called Quad mechanism is doomed to be unpopular, as it is a reflection of the obsolete Cold War mentality and military confrontation, which are against the trend of the times.

The spokesman also slammed the trips made by US politicians to Taiwan, saying that when the politicians are talking about "democracy" there, what they really consider is business.

Wang made the remark when asked to comment on media reports that US Senator Lindsey Graham had asked the Taiwan authorities to purchase 24 Boeing 787 planes manufactured in his constituency the state of South Carolina, during his trip to Taiwan earlier this month, a deal that would be worth $8 billion.

Wang said that Graham is not the only one asking the Taiwan authorities for an exorbitant price. It was also reported that former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo was paid $150,000 for his Taiwan visit in March, he said.

"While the Democratic Progressive Party authority is bragging about the US support, Taiwan compatriots are suffering because their hard-earned money is used by the Taiwan authorities to please others and they are taken as hostage on the carriage that is traveling toward the abyss of 'Taiwan independence'," Wang said.