China hit back at the United States on Tuesday, with its foreign minister accusing Washington of fueling tensions between the two powers and warning of “conflict and confrontation”.
The world’s biggest economies have clashed in recent years over trade, human rights and other issues, but ties have soured even further when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon it said was being used for surveillance – a claim strongly denied by Beijing.
Beijing’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing National People’s Congress (NPC) that it would be “catastrophic” if the United States acted in its current direction.
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“If the United States does not put on the brakes but continues to accelerate down the wrong path, there is no fence to prevent derailing, and there will always be conflicts and confrontations,” Qin told reporters.
“Who will bear the consequences of the disaster?”
The foreign minister called America’s competition with China “a reckless gamble, with bets on the basic interests of both nations and even the future of humanity”.
It was a “zero-sum game of life and death”, he added.
– ‘Siege and oppression’ –
Qin’s comments came after President Xi Jinping slammed the United States for leading the “containment, encirclement and suppression of China”, while urging the country’s private sector to boost innovation and become more self-reliant.
China’s technological ambitions have been hit by a raft of restrictions by the United States and Western allies, and Beijing has doubled down on the need to move from imports to sectors perceived as important for national security, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
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Washington has in recent months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing national security concerns and the risks of technology used by China’s military.
In a rare direct criticism of the United States, Xi told industry leaders on Monday that “Western countries led by the United States have put everything in place, surrounded and encircled China, which has brought an unprecedented severe challenge to our country’s development “.
Xi, who will be given the presidency for a third consecutive term in the coming days at the exquisitely choreographed NPC, said that the past five years have seen new obstacles that threaten to derail China’s economic growth.
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According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi said China must “have the courage to fight as the country faces deep and complex changes in the domestic and international landscape”, in a speech to delegates at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). which runs alongside NPCs.
The 69-year-old said private companies “must take the initiative to pursue high quality”, Xinhua reported last Friday.
Xi also pledged to expand China’s manufacturing capacity and said the country must be self-sufficient.
“I have always said that there are two critical areas for China: one is to maintain the rice bowl, and the other is to build a strong manufacturing sector,” he said.
“As a big country of 1.4 billion people, we have to rely on ourselves… We cannot depend on the international market to save us.”
– China and Russia ‘not a threat’ –
In a wide-ranging press conference, former US ambassador Qin also rejected threats from Western countries that China could supply weapons to Russia to fight in Ukraine, saying it would not accept “blame shifting, sanctions, repression and threats” targeting Beijing.
China last month published a position paper outlining its stance on the Ukraine conflict, portraying itself as a neutral party and urging both sides to enter into peace negotiations.
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Beijing’s claims of neutrality have been questioned by the United States and other Ukrainian allies, with Russia and China describing their bilateral ties as “unrestricted” just weeks before the invasion.
Qin said China “is not the creator of the crisis or the party, and does not provide weapons to any side”, adding that peace talks should start “as soon as possible”.
Beijing’s relations with Moscow “are not a threat to any country in the world”, he said.
Qin also reiterated the official line that China will “retain the option to take all necessary measures” to take over Taiwan.
He warned not to “underestimate the strong determination, strong will and strong ability of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.