Chinese embassy in UK: Don’t underestimate our strong will

BEIJING: Britain should not underestimate China’s willingness to defend its interests, an official from the Chinese embassy told BBC radio on Thursday when asked about possible British sanctions. “It is our firm willingness to safeguard our interest at any cost. And don’t underestimate our strong will defend our interests, as well as our dignity,” the embassy’s Charges d’Affaires Yang Xiaoguang told the BBC.

Meanwhile, China complained anew about recent reporting by the BBC, days after summoning the British ambassador to Beijing to register displeasure over a recent article she penned defending press freedom.

The Chinese Embassy in London posted a statement on its website Thursday saying it had written to the BBC expressing “strong dissatisfaction” and urging the broadcaster to “abandon bias, correct its mistake and report China in a objective, fair and balanced manner.” On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Caroline Wilson over her article posted on the embassy’s Chinese microblog in which she said critical reporting of China did not imply hatred or disrespect for the country itself. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said Wilson’s article reflected her “deep-rooted ideological prejudices.”

With eye on China, ‘Quad’ nations to tie up in rare earths: The United States, Japan, India and Australia will work together to secure rare earth metals that are essential to the production of electric car motors and other products, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday.

The four-nation group, referred to as the “Quad” countries, are on Friday due to hold an online summit meeting seen as part of efforts to counterbalance China’s growing military and economic power.