Washington up to its divisive tricks again

This is an editorial from China Daily.

All sovereign states have the right and autonomy to engage with each other in friendly exchanges and cooperation. They do not require the permission of Washington to do so.

Yet days before the leaders of Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea met at the Vostochny spacecraft launch site in the Russian Far East on Wednesday, Washington began hyping it up as a dangerous food-for-weapons rendezvous that required the vigilance of all "peace-loving nations".

The United States has gone too far in making such irresponsible remarks on something that is none of its business. The politicians in Washington should be reminded that the US' unilateral sanctions on the two countries are no justification for its interference in their relations.

It is the Ukraine crisis that is pulling Washington's nerves to such an extent that it tries to besmirch the diplomacy between the two neighboring countries. In raising such a ballyhoo about the meeting, Washington is trying to produce a chilling effect, so as to further estrange the two countries from the international community.

At the same time, the US is portraying itself as the leader of the "free world" and calling its assistance to Ukraine a righteous move.

Just last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new aid package, primarily military, for Ukraine worth more than $1 billion during a surprise visit to the country, his fourth visit to Ukraine since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine commenced in February last year.

The US will never admit that its "investment" in the "Ukraine project" is a cost-efficient means to maintain its hegemony under the pretext of safeguarding world peace. With less than 5 percent of its security spending since the conflict started — much of which finds its way back to the pockets of the US military-industry complexes — the US has effectively weakened Russia, strengthened its control over Europe and leveraged its "diplomacy of values" to buttress its China-targeted "Indo-Pacific" strategy.

That explains why the US, which is arguably the sole beneficiary of the conflict, is the only party trying to drag it on. No wonder Washington slings mud at parties such as Brazil, Indonesia, China, India and some African and Middle East countries that are working to try and bring an end to the conflict. The US' game plan should be evident to all. It is even going so far as to try and hijack almost all the important international gatherings, such as the just-concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi, to advance its agenda.

As China's Deputy Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Geng Shuang pointed out at a UN Security Council meeting on the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, "military confrontation is not the way out of the Ukraine crisis".

Dialogue and negotiations are the fundamental way to restore peace. Both Russia and Ukraine should actively respond to the calls of the international community and exercise restraint and avoid escalating the conflict. The UN Security Council meanwhile should play its role as the core of the collective security mechanism of the world and not become a second front in the geopolitical machinations of the US.