Strategic autonomy brings respect, friends: Chinese foreign ministry

Independence and autonomy bring respect and more friends, while coercion and pressure results in more resistance and opposition, China said on Wednesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing in response to comments by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Macron's successful visit to China and the important common understandings reached between the two countries injected a new impetus into China-France and China-EU cooperation," Wang said. "I'm not surprised that President Macron's view that Europe should develop more strategic autonomy and avoid getting entangled in bloc confrontation has attracted some criticism, especially from the US.”

A "certain country" is reluctant to see other countries being independent, and often seeks to coerce others into doing its bidding, he said.

"But the truth is, strategic autonomy will bring more respect and friends, while coercion and pressure will only cause more resistance and opposition," Wang said.

(Compiled by Sun Hang)