US urged to stop misleading Chen's comments
China on Wednesday urged the United States to stop misleading the public after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a statement on taking a Chinese citizen via abnormal means into the U.S. embassy in Beijing.
"What the U.S. side should do now is neither to continue misleading the public and making every excuse to shift responsibility and conceal its wrongdoing, nor to interfere in the domestic affairs of China," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weiming in response to a question on Clinton's statement.
Chen Guangcheng, a native of Yinan county in eastern China's Shandong province, entered the U.S. embassy in Beijing in late April and left of his own volition after a six-day stay, according to the spokesman.
"[The U.S. side] should learn from the incident in a serious and responsible attitude and reflect on its own policy and moves," Liu said, calling for the United States to "take necessary measures to prevent a similar incident from happening again and maintain the overall situation of China-U.S. relations."
Earlier on Wednesday, Clinton said she was "pleased" the U.S. side was able to "facilitate Chen Guangcheng's stay and departure from the U.S. embassy in a way that reflected his choices and our values."
Clinton arrived in Beijing Wednesday morning for the fourth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
"The U.S. embassy in Beijing has the obligation to observe relevant international laws and Chinese laws, and it should not do anything irrelevant to its function," Liu said, adding China will never accept the practice of the United States to interfere in China's internal affairs.
China has demanded the U.S. side apologize for the incident, thoroughly investigate the event, hold relevant people accountable and ensure that such an event does not happen again, said the spokesman.
Liu said China is a country under the rule of law, and its citizens' legitimate rights and interests are protected by the Constitution and laws.
"All citizens, at the same time, have the obligation to abide by the Constitution and laws to safeguard the security, honor and interests of our motherland," he said.
