By Eric Baculinao and Jennifer Jett -
NBC News
BEIJING — The United States and China are headed toward inevitable "confrontation and conflict" unless the White House changes course, Beijing's new foreign minister warned Tuesday.
Fiery comments by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang underscored rising tensions between the world's two largest economies in the wake of the surveillance balloon saga and Russia's war in Ukraine.
[White House gives federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all their devices for security reasons]
These remarks echoed those of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who a day earlier had blamed the United States for containing the deterioration in relations with China and hinted that Beijing would increasingly try to fight back.
Qin's news conference, his first since taking office in December, took place in Beijing on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China's legislature, where Xi is expected to complete the biggest government reshuffle in a decade.
In a broad rebuke of American policy, Qin - who was until recently China's ambassador to the United States - disputed President Joe Biden's claim that the United States seeks competition with China, but not conflict.
Chinese model's body parts found in pot, relatives face murder charges
Feb 28, 202300:25
"In fact, the supposed competence of the United States is to contain and suppress, a zero-sum game," he said, suggesting that conflict may be inevitable unless Washington stops trying to suppress Beijing.
“The US side supposedly wants to put 'guardrails' on China-US relations and not get into conflict,” Qin continued.
“In fact, he wants China not to respond with words or actions when it is slandered or attacked.
That's just impossible."
[China threatens the United States for shooting down its balloon]
“If the American side does not put on the brakes and continues on the wrong path, there will be no guardrail that can stop the derailment and the turn towards confrontation and conflict,” he said.
In a speech to political delegates on Monday, Xi also accused the United States of trying to encircle China.
"Western countries, led by the United States, have implemented a containment, encirclement and complete suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented serious challenges to the development of our country," he said according to Xinhua, the news agency. Chinese state.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 7, 2023.Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
Qin also criticized the White House's decision early last month to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, repeating Beijing's insistence that it landed over US soil by accident.
"The US side violated the spirit of international law and international practice by making presumptions of guilt, overreacting, abusing force and using the matter to create a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided," he said.
[China Offers “No Apology” in First Meeting After Spy Balloon Crisis, Secretary of State Says]
On Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory, Qin said it was the first red line in China's relations with the US, which is Taiwan's most important international backer.
“The United States has an inescapable responsibility in creating the Taiwan question,” he said.
Qin said the United States had disrespected China's sovereignty and territorial integrity by supplying defensive weapons to the island, which Beijing has said it could take by force if necessary, even as the United States warns China not to supply Russia with weapons for its war against Ukraine.
Elder fakes his death to find out who is going to his funeral in China
March 3, 202300:32
China and Russia declared an “unlimited” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, and China has tried to appear neutral in the conflict, refraining from condemning the Russian aggression or even calling it an invasion.
Qin said on Tuesday that China-Russia relations "must move forward steadily" as the world becomes more turbulent.
But Beijing strongly denies US accusations that it is considering providing Moscow with ammunition and artillery to help its fight against kyiv.
[China calls for a ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. What is your proposal?]
“China is neither the creator of the crisis nor a party to it, nor has it provided weapons to any of the parties to the conflict, so why should China be blamed, sanctioned, pressured or even threatened?”
Qin said.
He reiterated earlier calls for a negotiated solution to the Ukrainian conflict, though a 12-point peace proposal that Beijing released last month was quickly rejected by Western officials as too pro-Russia.
“It is unfortunate that efforts to persuade and promote talks have been undermined,” Qin said, “as if an invisible hand is pushing the conflict to escalate, taking advantage of the Ukrainian crisis to achieve certain geopolitical intentions.”