U.S. criticism of China is ‘lies’, foreign minister says

MUNICH (Reuters) – China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed U.S. criticism of his country as “lies” on Saturday, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized its foreign policy and desire for “empire”.

“All these accusations against China are lies, not based on facts,” Wang told the Munich Security Conference. “But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, speaking at the conference immediately after Pompeo and before Wang, accused Beijing of a “nefarious strategy” through telecommunications firm Huawei.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel, editing by Robin Emmott)