China: Xi Jinping accuses US and West of "oppression" of China

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Photo: NOEL CELIS / AFP

With unusually direct words, China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping accused the United States and the West of trying to slow down his country's rise in the world.

On the fringes of the current annual meeting of the People's Congress in Beijing, the president said, according to the state media on Tuesday, that the environment for China's development had "changed dramatically" and that the imponderables had increased sharply.

"Western countries in particular, led by the United States, are pursuing an all-out containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which poses unprecedented severe challenges to China's development."

At the same time, China is facing multiple difficulties, said Xi Jinping, citing repeated Covid-19 outbreaks and increasing pressure on the second-largest economy as examples.

His open criticism contrasted with previous statements in which China's leaders had mostly spoken vaguely of "certain countries" without directly naming the United States or the West.

The comments came during discussions with delegates to the Consultative Conference, an advisory body of distinguished figures that meets in parallel with the People's Congress.

At the weekend, Beijing emphasized its hopes for closer ties with the Europeans.

Despite differences of opinion with the European Union, China sees "no fundamental strategic differences and conflicts" between the two sides.

Beijing's position paper was disappointing

The spokesman for the annual meeting of the People's Congress, which begins on Sunday, Wang Chao, emphasized the similarities in front of the press in Beijing on Saturday and spoke out in favor of expanding relations and economic cooperation.

China regards Europe as a "comprehensive strategic partner".

Given the different history, culture, development and ideology, it is only normal to have "different views on some issues," Wang Chao said.

The spokesman did not go into the Ukraine war.

Since the invasion a year ago, China's leadership has backed Russian President Vladimir Putin politically and portrayed the US and NATO as the real perpetrators of the conflict, which the European side has denied.

A little over a week ago, China presented a position paper on the Ukraine conflict, which disappointed internationally because it showed no new initiative for a peace solution.

Nor was it apparent that China intends to use its influence on Russia to end the war.

jok/dpa