Bloomberg: There have been reports in British media saying that the UK government will declare China as an official threat. This is coming after the UK spy chief said that the politically motivated use of technology by China was an increasingly urgent problem. That’s from the speech of the UK spy chief Jeremy Fleming. What’s the foreign ministry’s comment on this?

Mao Ning: China follows an independent foreign policy of peace. China’s development brings opportunities to other countries, not threats or challenges. We hope that the new UK government can view China and China-UK relations in an objective and rational light. Subscribing to the obsolete mindset of “China threat” benefits no one and will eventually backfire. Such an approach leads nowhere. 

As to the remarks made by the British intelligence official you mentioned, as I said yesterday, the allegation is completely groundless and a projection of the alleger’s own image. What those remarks reveal is a Cold War mentality and ideological bias. China’s development is aimed at making lives better for the Chinese people. It will only contribute positively to world peace and stability. Our development does not target anyone, still less pose any threat. Making an issue out of China and stoking antagonism and confrontation does not rid the UK of its own problems.