The Chinese Embassy in Washington condemns U.S. House Speaker Johnson after he referred to China, Russia, and Iran as an “axis of evil.”

“We firmly oppose the serious and erroneous remarks made by some individuals in the U.S. towards Chinese leadership and have made solemn representations to the U.S. side,” said Chinese embassy spokesperson Lu Băng Vũ to Newsweek on April 19, when asked to comment on recent statements by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“We urge the U.S. to abandon the Cold War mentality and prejudice, stop smearing Chinese leaders, cease irresponsible political manipulation, and take concrete actions to restore stability in U.S.-China relations, rather than the other way around,” Mr. Lu added.

U.S. House Speaker Johnson on April 17 declared his belief that the leadership of China, Russia, and Iran form an “axis of evil,” while speaking to the media about the issue of aid to Ukraine.

“I think they’re coordinating. President Vladimir Putin will march across Europe if not stopped, possibly confronting NATO members like Poland,” Johnson said.

Chủ tịch Hạ viện Mỹ Mike Johnson phát biểu tại Washington tháng 11/2023. Ảnh: AFP

The term “axis of evil” was first used by U.S. President George W. Bush to refer to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea in his State of the Union address in January 2002, nearly a year before the launch of the campaign against Iraq. Bush used this term to describe foreign governments accused of sponsoring terrorism and promoting weapons of mass destruction.

John Bolton, then Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, in May 2002 added Cuba, Libya, and Syria to the list.

The governments of Russia and Iran have not commented on Mr. Johnson’s statement.

The controversial statement by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives comes against the backdrop of signs of stabilization in relations between the United States and China in recent months, although the two sides remain tense on various issues such as Taiwan.

After a sideline meeting at the APEC summit in California in November 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to manage tensions in their relationship, including proposals to resume bilateral defense dialogues.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a virtual meeting on April 16 with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, to discuss defense relations and regional and global security issues. This is the first high-level exchange in nearly 18 months between the top defense leaders of the two countries.