BEIJING: America’s risky military behavior runs counter to the basic norms of international relations

Beijing-Sana

The Chinese Foreign Ministry affirmed today that the use of force by the United States exacerbates tensions in the Middle East region, and that its perilous behavior contradicts the basic norms of international relations, after Washington assassinated the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. In Baghdad last Friday.

"Power-dependent policies are not popularly accepted and are not viable," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a news briefing carried by Reuters, adding that "the risky US military behavior of the past few days runs counter to the basic norms of international relations."

Geng called on Washington not to abuse the force and urged the parties concerned to show restraint to ensure peace and stability in the region.

On US President Donald Trump's threats to impose sanctions on Iraq after the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution that obliges the government to end the foreign presence in the country, Geng said, "China has always opposed unfair use or the threat of sanctions."

He added, "We hope the concerned countries, especially the major countries from outside the region, will do more to support peace and security in the Middle East region and avoid actions that escalate regional tensions."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart yesterday that unilateral use of force does not solve international problems but rather backfires, in reference to the recent US aggressions in Iraq that led to the death of Soleimani and the engineer.