FM spokesperson refutes U.S. ambassador's accusation of blocking exchanges

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday rebuked U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns for blaming China for blocking bilateral exchanges. She urged the U.S. side to take concrete actions to promote these exchanges.

Mao made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the criticism from Burns, who reportedly said that China made it "impossible" to boost exchanges between the two countries. Burns made the comments while taking an interview, accusing China of preventing people from attending U.S. embassy events.

Mao refuted Burns's remarks, noting that they do not conform to the facts, deviate from the important consensus reached by the two heads of state at their meeting in San Francisco, run counter to the correct way for China and the United States to proceed forward, and are not conducive to the sound and stable development of the bilateral ties.

China has always developed its relations with the United States in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and is committed to promoting people-to-people exchanges, the spokesperson said.

Mao added that the "Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival" is currently being held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, which is the largest and most diversified youth exchange activity since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States.

Stressing that it is not the Chinese side that is interfering with the cultural exchanges between the two countries, but the U.S. side, Mao said that under the pretext of "national security", the United States has unwarrantedly harassed, interrogated and repatriated Chinese students in the United States, causing great harm to the parties concerned.

"We hope that the U.S. side will work with China to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges with concrete actions and promote the sound and steady development of China-U.S. relations," Mao said.