Hypocritical, despicable for U.S. to discredit China through Ukraine issue: spokesperson

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. side has repeatedly spread false information related to the Ukraine issue to smear and discredit China in order to shirk their own responsibility, which is hypocritical and despicable, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Wang Wenbin made the remarks when asked to comment on the report that an unnamed senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday that China continues to express concerns over the situation in Ukraine, but is unwilling to condemn and sanction Russia like other countries, and has no intention of participating in any form of diplomatic solution to the Ukraine issue.

"Spreading false information cannot cover up the responsibility of the initiators of the Ukrainian crisis, but rather exposes the real intention of the U.S. side to take advantage of the crisis," Wang said.

He said the United States should honestly answer the following questions:

-- The United States claimed that promoting NATO expansion is for the sake of peace. Has it achieved this?

-- The United States claimed it would prevent war in Europe. Has it done so?

-- The United States claimed to be committed to a peaceful solution to the crisis. But apart from providing military aid and increasing deterrence, what has the U.S. side done for peace?

China always decides its own position and policy based on the merits of the matter itself, Wang said.

"We welcome all diplomatic efforts conducive to the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and support Russia and Ukraine in seeking a political solution through dialogue and negotiation that accommodates the legitimate concerns of both sides and is conducive to lasting peace and stability in Europe," Wang said.

China will continue to play a constructive role in seeking and realizing peace, he added.