In his first press conference since taking office, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang blamed the United States for deteriorating bilateral relations. Washington’s China policy has completely deviated from the rational line, Qin said Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People’s Congress in Beijing. He also criticized US support for Taiwan and accused Washington of undermining the peace effort in Ukraine for its own benefit.
Washington wants to suppress China in every way and engage the two countries in a zero-sum game, Qin said. China is expected not to fight back with words or actions when slandered or attacked. “It’s just impossible.” If the United States doesn’t change its course, there will certainly be conflict and confrontation. “Such a competition is a daring game where the vital interests of both peoples and even the future of mankind are at stake.”
After a brief stint as ambassador to Washington, Qin was appointed foreign minister at the end of December. In this capacity, he reports to the Communist Party’s top foreign policy officer, Wang Yi.
Qin on Tuesday reiterated criticism of the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the east coast of the United States. The balloon was thrown off course by force majeure and the US overreacted, the minister said. He described dealings with Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, as a red line that must not be crossed in relations with the United States. Washington disregarded China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by providing political support to the island and providing it with defensive weapons.
“Why is the US asking China not to supply arms to Russia while continuing to sell arms to Taiwan?” Qin said. “Mishandling the Taiwan issue will shake the very foundations of China-US relations.”
A Chinese peace proposal for Ukraine was well received in Russia but rejected by the West. Efforts at peace talks have been repeatedly undermined, Qin said: “There seems to be an invisible hand pushing to prolong and escalate the conflict and to use the Ukraine crisis for a specific geopolitical agenda.”
In fact, it was Russia itself that rejected the Chinese peace plan.
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