China MFA: Latin America is no one’s back yard
China is praising both ALBA-TCP and CELAC as mechanisms for promoting peace, development and integration. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian was asked about the ALBA Summit held Friday during today’s press conference. Below is a transcription of the question from CCTV and Lijian’s response.
Question from news media CCTV: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), held its 21st Summit in Havana, Cuba on May 27, 2022. The Final Declaration adopted by the alliance’s member states denounces the exclusionary and discriminatory treatment by the United States as the host country of the so-called Summit of the Americas against some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, rejects the imposition of coercive unilateral measures against Venezuela and Nicaragua, and the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba and calls on the genuine regional integration led by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Do you have any comment?
Zhao Lijian: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) represents a useful exploration by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for promoting regional integration. Since its founding, the organization has been committed to seeking development through solidarity among regional countries and encouraging its member states to follow a path of independent development.
Since its founding, CELAC has been committed to multilateralism and played an important role in upholding multilateralism, safeguarding regional peace and stability, promoting economic and social development and protecting the rights and interests of developing countries. China appreciates this and supports countries in the region in actively seeking a development model suited to the region and their efforts to promote integration.
Under the pretext of so-called democracy and human rights, the US has been ganging up to suppress countries that have different opinions, wantonly abused unilateral sanctions and interfered in and manipulated the internal affairs of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is typical hegemony that gravely violates the purposes of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously contravenes the sovereignty and dignity of countries in the region. China firmly rejects this. I would like to stress that Latin America is by no means a front court or backyard of a certain country, and the Summit of the Americas is not a “Summit of the United States of America”. The US scheme to interfere in regional affairs by taking advantage of its capacity as the host of the Summit of the Americas is doomed to fail.
By Kawsachun News
