China: ‘Furious and sad’ about violence against Asian Americans in US

China’s foreign ministry on Thursday denounced recent attacks against Asian Americans.

At a press conference, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that Beijing was “deeply concerned” about recent violent attacks against Asian Americans, while also knocking police violence against Black Lives Matter protesters.

“Defenseless elders of Asian ethnicity have been brutally attacked, their lives put in grave danger. Such despicable actions, born out of senseless discrimination, make us furious and sad,” said Lijian.

“I must point out that some politicians in the last US administration and some anti-China forces inside the US, holding onto their zero-sum game mindset and ideological prejudice, have been fabricating and spreading lies and disinformation about China, fanning racism and hatred, condoning discriminatory behaviors against Chinese nationals in the US including Chinese students, and even spying, harassing, cross-examining and arresting them for no cause at all. The Chinese side is deeply concerned over this,” he continued.

The sharp criticism of the U.S. comes as Beijing has put the Biden administration under increasing pressure to reverse the anti-China stances of the Trump administration, including the U.S. support for Taiwan’s government as well as protesters in Hong Kong.

Hate incidents against Asian Americans have surged over the past year, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China. Former President Trump and others frequently referred to the virus using racist terms.

Asian American communities and other supporters have rallied in recent days against incidents of hate speech and physical attacks. On Wednesday, protests gathered in multiple cities to denounce anti-Asian hate after a gunman killed eight during a shooting rampage at several massage parlors in Atlanta, during which several Asian women were killed.