China urges US against politicizing economic and tech issues

China on Monday urged the United States to cease politicizing economic and technological issues and stop interfering in other nations' internal affairs after the US government planned to replace telecommunications equipment from Chinese company Huawei across Panama with the so-called secure technology.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday said at a news conference, "The US has no reason to comment on decisions that concern the national government."

"Latin America and the Caribbean are no one's backyard," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday at a daily news briefing.

He urged the US to abandon its domineering attitude and halt coercing countries to limit cooperation with China. Instead, it should focus on promoting regional peace, stability and development, he added.

He noted that the US has for a long time engaged in widespread surveillance, cyberattacks, and monitoring across Latin America and the Caribbean, creating insecurity among nations in the region.

Guo said that China consistently supports Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Panama, in upholding their independence and resisting hegemony, bullying and external interference.

China does not seek spheres of influence, engage in geopolitical competition, or coerce countries to take sides, he added.