China¡¯s top diplomat has taken an implicit swipe at Japan and South Korea for strengthening trilateral ties with the U.S. and urged his country¡¯s two neighbors to remember their ¡°roots¡± and work together for the benefit of Asia and the world.

In a video shared by Chinese state-run media, Wang Yi told Japanese and South Korean attendants at a trilateral forum on Monday that most Westerners can¡¯t tell Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans apart.

¡°No matter how blonde our hair is dyed or how sharp we change our nose, we can never become a European or American, we can never become a Westerner,¡± Wang said. ¡°We must know where our roots lie.¡±