China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang has issued a warning to the United States to change its course regarding the Chinese surveillance balloon, Taiwan and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Qin blasted the U.S. for going “down the wrong path” in their conflict with China.
These comments come amid continued tensions with the communist country, especially in the aftermath of their surveillance balloon being shot down by the U.S. military. China has insisted that the object was simply a “weather balloon,” but their outsized reaction over it being shot down coupled with analysis of the wreckage confirms that this was a lie. The Biden administration has attempted to appear tough in response to the incident — despite the fact that they were aware of the surveillance balloon’s existence since before it entered the U.S., yet they refused to shoot it down until it had completed its flight over numerous sensitive sites and crossed into the airspace above the Carolina coast.
China has demanded the U.S. apologize for shooting down the balloon, and has condemned the comments made about the matter by U.S. officials. However, this isn’t the only reason the communist country is trying to intimidate the Biden administration — as they are angered over the U.S. government’s attempts to shame China for supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine, and over the U.S. support of Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang asks why the US criticises potential Chinese military aid to Russia, while it supplies aid to Taiwan
China's argument is that the US shouldn't criticise it for helping violate Ukraine's sovereignty, when it is violating Chinese sovereignty
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) March 7, 2023
Qin warned during the news conference that the U.S. must change its course or face “confrontation and conflict” from China.
“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,” the Chinese foreign minister said.
Qin also questioned President Joe Biden’s claim that the U.S. seeks “competition with China but not conflict.”
“In fact, the U.S. side’s so-called ‘competition’ is all-round containment and suppression, a zero-sum game,” he said, adding that conflict “may be unavoidable unless Washington stops trying to suppress Beijing.”
"When jackals and wolves are in power and attack, Chinese diplomats must dance with the wolves to protect their home and country," said China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang. pic.twitter.com/p2e5uY6EZv
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) March 7, 2023
Qin went on to specifically condemn the U.S. for creating a “diplomatic crisis” with their comments about China.
“The U.S. side violated the spirit of international law and international practice by making presumptions of guilt, overreacting, abusing force, and making use of the issue to create a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided,” he said. “China is neither the creator of the crisis nor a party to it, nor has it provided weapons to any party to the [Ukraine] conflict, so why should China be blamed, sanctioned, pressured or even threatened?”
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a similar warning on Monday, blaming the U.S. for trying to shame China over its support of Russia.
