Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang has lashed out at the United States over deteriorating bilateral relations and Washington’s support for Taiwan, warning it will lead to “conflict and confrontation”.
Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang has lashed out at the United States over deteriorating bilateral relations and Washington’s support for Taiwan, warning it will lead to “conflict and confrontation”.
In his first news conference since taking office, he also suggested that America was undermining efforts for peace in Ukraine in order to extend the conflict for its own benefit.
Washington’s China policy has “entirely deviated from the rational and sound track,” Mr Qin told journalists on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp legislature.
It is in his only formal scheduled news conference for the year, although he sometimes takes questions during foreign visits.
Washington “means to contain and suppress China in all respects and get the two countries locked in a zero-sum game”, he said.
“It’s so-called establishing guardrails and not seeking conflict simply means that China should not respond in words or action when slandered or attacked,” Mr Qin said. “That is just impossible.”
“If the United States does not hit the brake, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing and there surely will be conflict and confrontation,” he said.
“Such competition is a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples and even the future of humanity.
