BEIJING – China lashed out on the United States on Tuesday, accusing Washington of stoking tensions between the 2 powers and warning of “conflict and confrontation”.
Beijing’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang informed a press convention on the sidelines of the continuing National People’s Congress (NPC) there can be “catastrophic consequences” if the United States carried on in its present course.
“If the United States does not hit the brakes but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation,” Qin informed journalists.
The overseas minister referred to as American competitors with China “a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of two peoples and even the future of humanity”.
It was “a zero-sum game of life and death”, he added.
Competition, not battle
In response Washington denied it’s in search of battle with Beijing and confused the connection was considered one of “strategic competition.”
“With all due respect to the Chinese foreign minister, there is no change to the United States posture when it comes to this bilateral relationship,” stated White House nationwide safety spokesman John Kirby.
“There is nothing about our approach to this most consequential bilateral relationship that should lead anybody to think that we want conflict,” he stated.
“We aim to compete, and we aim to win that competition with China, but we absolutely want to keep it at that level,” he stated.
‘Encirclement and suppression’
The world’s largest economies have clashed in recent times over commerce, human rights and different points, however relations soured even additional final month when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon it stated was getting used for surveillance –- a declare strenuously denied by Beijing.
Qin’s feedback got here after President Xi Jinping slammed the United States for main an effort of “containment, encirclement and suppression of China”, whereas urging his nation’s personal sector to spice up innovation and grow to be extra self-reliant.
China’s expertise ambitions have been hit with a raft of restrictions by the United States and its Western allies, and Beijing has doubled down on the necessity to shift away from imports for sectors perceived as very important to nationwide safety, akin to semiconductors and synthetic intelligence.
Washington has in latest months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing nationwide safety considerations and the chance of the expertise being utilized by China’s navy.
Xi, who will probably be granted a 3rd consecutive presidential time period within the coming days on the extremely choreographed NPC, stated the previous 5 years had been riddled with a brand new set of hurdles that threatened to crush China’s financial rise.
According to the state-run Xinhua news company, Xi stated China should “have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape”, within the handle to delegates on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which runs alongside the NPC.
The 69-year-old stated personal corporations “should take the initiative to pursue high-quality development”, Xinhua reported late Monday.
Xi additionally vowed to bolster China’s manufacturing capability and stated the nation ought to be capable of fend for itself.
“I’ve always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl, and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector,” he stated.
“As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves… We can’t depend on international markets to save us.”
‘Not a menace’
Qin, the previous Chinese ambassador in Washington, additionally dismissed warnings from Western nations to not provide arms to Russia for its warfare in Ukraine.
He stated China wouldn’t settle for “blame-shifting, sanctions, suppression and threats” concentrating on Beijing.
IN an official place paper final month on the Ukraine warfare, China portrayed itself as impartial and urged the 2 sides to enter peace negotiations.
While Beijing’s declare to neutrality has been questioned by the United States and different Ukraine allies, Qin stated China was “neither a creator of the crisis nor a party to it, and it has not provided weapons to any party.”
He added that peace talks ought to begin “as soon as possible” and stated Beijing’s relationship with Moscow is “not a threat to any country in the world.”
Qin additionally reiterated the official line that China would “maintain the option of taking all necessary actions” to take Taiwan.
He warned towards “underestimating the strong determination, firm will and powerful ability of the Chinese government and Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity”. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
