China's foreign minister warns of conflict with the US and threatens "friendship with Russia"

2023-03-07 08:23:13Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
China's foreign minister warns of conflict with the US and threatens
Qin Gang

The US and China are heading for an inevitable conflict unless Washington changes its approach, China's new foreign minister said at a fiery news conference in which he advocated strengthening his country's ties with Russia.

In his first media appearance as foreign minister, held on the sidelines of the "two sessions" political meeting on Tuesday, Qin Gang outlined China's foreign policy agenda for the coming years, presenting China and its relations with Russia as a beacon of strength and stability. , and the US and its allies as a source of tension and conflict.

Qin said that the US side claimed to want to defeat China, but did not seek conflict, "but in reality, the US side's so-called competition is all-out control and suppression, a zero-sum game where you die and I live.

"If the US does not hit the brakes, but continues to accelerate down the wrong path, no safeguards can prevent the derailment, and conflict and confrontation are certain to ensue."

Qin defended the close friendship between China and Russia, a relationship closely watched by the West in light of the war in Ukraine. He said ties between Beijing and Moscow "set an example for global foreign relations".

"With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force," he said. "The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relationship."

He said there had been "close contact" between the leadership of the two countries, with the "head of state" relationship forming the anchor of the relationship. "The strategic partnership ... is sure to grow from strength to strength."

Qin's comments coincided with a speech by China's leader Xi Jinping to political delegates on Monday, condemning what he called the US-led "oppression" of China.

"Western countries led by the United States have implemented comprehensive control, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented serious challenges to our country's development," he said.
China-US relations have deteriorated significantly in recent years, and efforts to mend them were derailed earlier this year when the US shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying in US airspace. China claims it was an accident caused by "force majeure" and that the US overreacted.

 


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