China‘s Foreign Ministry criticized the United States on Thursday for sounding the alarms about Beijing acquiring a controlling stake over a German port terminal.
Bashing the U.S. for engaging in heavy-handed diplomacy, Foreign Minister Zhao Lijian argued the U.S. has “no right” to meddle in Beijing’s relations with Germany.
BIDEN PENTAGON OFFICIAL JOINS TIKTOK AMID REVIEW OF THE CHINESE APP
“Pragmatic cooperation between China and Germany is a matter for the two sovereign countries, the United States should not attack it without reason and has no right to meddle and interfere,” Zhao proclaimed at a press conference Thursday, according to Reuters.
Last week, Germany greenlighted a 24.9% stake from Chinese shipping company Cosco in a terminal at one of Germany’s biggest ports, according to the report. Under the terms of the investment, Cosco will not have sway over key strategic and management matters.
The U.S. voiced security concerns over the deal, an official said Wednesday.
“The embassy was very clear that we strongly suggested that there’d be no controlling interest by China, and as you see when they adjusted the deal, there isn’t,” an anonymous State Department official told reporters, according to Reuters.
Germany was reportedly divided internally about the prospect of making a deal with China. Cosco initially pursued a 35% stake in one of three terminals run by logistics company HHLA in the Hamburg port. The German Cabinet gave the 24.9% stake approval as an “emergency solution,” reports said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Later this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is slated to travel to China, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was recently elected to a third term.
