Beijing: China has strictly turned down rumours of trying to fill up the space left by the United States in the Middle East and said there is no “vacuum” there.
During a regular press conference on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China had long supported the people of the Middle East in independently exploring their own development path and supported Middle East countries in resolving regional security issues through solidarity and cooperation.
Responding to Joe Biden’s claim about China and/or Russia filling the vacuum left behind by the U.S. in the region, Wang Wenbin said, the “Middle East is a land of its people, not anyone’s backyard. There is no so-called vacuum there.”
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Wang Wenbin added that the Middle East is not yet tranquil, with COVID-19 posing a protracted challenge to regional development and the spillover of the Ukraine crisis affecting regional security. The people in the Middle East want development and security more than anything else.
He called on the international community and developed countries, in particular, to make it a priority and work constructively to help the countries and people in this region realize development and security, not otherwise.
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Highlighting China’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, the spokesperson said that China made relentless efforts and played its due role in safeguarding peace, promoting development and facilitating the just and reasonable resolution of hotspot issues in the region.
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