China warns the United States to stop trying to contain and repress Beijing to avoid a conflict that would become “inevitable” and have “catastrophic” consequences.
The decline in relations between the two great powers was the focus of a press conference by China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang. Who, issued warnings to Washington on all aspects of bilateral relations, from the Taiwan issue to the war in Ukraine.
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China warning to the US at the National People’s Congress
Qin was speaking on the sidelines of the proceedings of the plenary session of the National People’s Congress. That is the legislative body of China’s parliament, underway in Beijing. There, the renewal of China’s ruling class and the reappointment of Xi Jinping to the top of the state with the start of his third term as China’s president is on the agenda.
It was precisely from Xi, in recent hours, that harsh criticism had come about the West. Which has been accused of “all-round containment and repression” of China. In a bleak picture sketched by the Chinese president, the risks and challenges facing China “will only increase and become more serious.”
China will defend its national interests and oppose the Cold War mentality, Qin Gang sounded out. Thus indicating the direction China’s diplomacy will take under his leadership.
In his first press conference as Beijing’s foreign minister, he stressed early on that China will pursue multilateralism. And, oppose unilateral sanctions and the separation of economies.
The United States – where he served as Chinese ambassador until late 2022 – is the main target of his words. Overheating tones is the delicate case of the alleged Chinese spy-balloon spotted in American skies. A “diplomatic incident” that could have been avoided, the Chinese diplomat called it. And, the result of a “distorted perception” of China by the US.
If the U.S. “does not pull the brakes and continues on the wrong path, there will definitely be a conflict. Who will bear the catastrophic consequences?” the Chinese foreign minister warned. “Containment and repression will not make America great and will not stop China’s renewal,” Qin added.
Taiwan’s future and relations with Russia
In the complex relations with the United States, there could be no shortage of tensions over Taiwan. No one should underestimate Beijing’s determination for the island’s “reunification” with China, warned the foreign minister. Who also read a passage from China’s Constitution emphasizing Taiwan’s belonging to Chinese territory.
If the Taiwan issue is not handled well, he added, “relations between China and the United States will suffer”.
In open contrast to the tensions with the United States and the West is the relationship with Russia. What emerges from the words of Beijing’s foreign minister is the stark contrast between a West that seeks provocation and confrontation. And a relationship with Russia presented as “ancora of stability” globally.
Beijing-Moscow relations are a “good example of relations between great countries,” Qin said. And with the overall strategic partnership between China and Russia, the world will have a “driving force for multilateralism.”
The war in Ukraine and China’s position
Finally, he could not miss a reference to the war in Ukraine, for whose political solution Beijing presented a 12-point plan. The plan was strongly criticized by the West for the absence of condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Beijing has not supplied weapons to the warring parties, said the foreign minister, who underscored China’s concerns.
For Beijing, the Ukrainian crisis has reached “a critical point” and “peace talks must begin as soon as possible.” While not mentioning them directly, the foreign minister leveled a veiled criticism at the United States. “There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for escalation” and using for its own geopolitical agenda a crisis, Beijing claims, “that could have been avoided.”
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