China's foreign minister threatened the United States during his first press conference. Qin Gan, who won the post in December 2022, used his first public speech to intimidate the nation by assuring that Beijing and Washington are heading for a serious confrontation if the US does not change its attitude towards his country:
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. Such competition is a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples and even the future of humanity.
In statements reported by AP, the foreign minister referred to the incident with the Chinese spy balloon. He criticized Washington's reaction to shooting down the balloon and reaffirmed that the appearance of the flying object in American skies was an accident:
In this case the United States’ perception and views of China are seriously distorted. It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in a shirt being put wrong and the result is that the U.S.-China policy has entirely deviated from the rational and sound track.
Accuses U.S. of seeking "total suppression" of China
These statements coincide with the speech delivered this Monday by the President of China, Xi Jinping, to his political delegates. During his speech he claimed that the US was suppressing China:
Western countries led by the United States have implemented an all-round containment, blockade and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented and grave challenges to our nation’s development.
The foreign minister also spoke about his country's relationship with Russia. He spoke of how the ties between the two countries "set an example for global foreign relations" and assured that "there is close contact" between their leaders:
With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force. The more unstable the world becomes the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations.
