China: Rex Tillerson ‘Biased’ for Accusations of Predatory Economic Policy

China has denounced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s surprisingly stern criticism during an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, claiming that, contrary to Tillerson’s allegations of predatory economic practices in developing nations, Beijing “steadfastly upholds the international order.”

The People’s Daily Online kept track of how many times Rex Tillerson mentioned China in the Q&A session after a speech about America’s close relationship with China’s rival India:

Mentioning China 13 times in his speech on the future of US relations with India, Tillerson accused China of “undermining the international, rules-based order,” argued China’s “provocative actions” in the South China Sea “directly challenge” the US, and said China’s economic cooperation model “saddles” developing economies with enormous levels of debt.

In an interview on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang insisted China is a good global citizen and friend to developing countries, without actually addressing anything Tillerson said:

China steadfastly upholds the international order with the United Nations (UN) at the core and based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China will by no means pursue its own development at the expense of other countries’ interests. Neither will China give up its own legitimate rights and interests.

The Chinese side is committed to the sustained, sound and steady development of China-US relations, which not only serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples but also represents the shared aspirations of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and the international community.

We hope that the United States can put China’s development and China’s positive role in the world into perspective, abandon its biased views of China and make concerted efforts with China to focus on cooperation, properly handle differences and maintain the momentum of the steady growth of China-US relations.

CNN notes that Lu’s first comment is a direct quote of President Xi Jinping, who said during his marathon address to the Communist Party Congress this week that China “will never pursue development at the expense of other countries’ interests, but China will also never give up its legitimate rights and interests.”

The People’s Daily Online threw in a pre-buttal from China’s ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, who wrote before Tillerson delivered his remarks that a “zero-sum mentality” about American competition with China for global leadership is “outdated.”

“It is misleading to interpret the relationship between China and the U.S. through the lens of the power shifting theory,” Cui argued.

Tillerson’s speech at CSIS went over much better in New Delhi. “We appreciate US secretary of state Tillerson’s positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions,” said India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The Times of India suggests India’s government appreciated Tillerson’s critique of both China and Pakistan and embraced Tillerson’s call for a “shared commitment to a rule-based international order.”

Secretary of State Tillerson is scheduled to visit India and Pakistan next week, while President Donald Trump will visit China in November.