Suppressing China won’t make America great, says Qin Gang

• Qin Gang claims that US-China relations have “seriously diverged”.
• China’s new foreign minister warns of conflict with the US.
• Saying an ‘invisible hand’ is driving the Ukraine crisis.

The foreign minister of China Qin Gang claims that US-China relations have “seriously diverged” and expresses concern over possible conflict.

“Containment and suppression will not make America great. It will not stop the rejuvenation of China,” said Qin Gang.

Tuesday marked Mr. Qin’s first press conference as China’s new foreign minister.

He was previously China’s ambassador to the US.

Despite recent efforts to repair relations, the spy balloon mystery has heightened tensions between the superpowers.

“It [the US] regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in the shirt being put wrong,” said Mr. Qin, speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s parliament in Beijing.

The foreign minister was responding to a query regarding the viability of a positive China-US partnership in light of the widening gap between the two nations.

According to Mr. Qin, the US advocated for the establishment of “guardrails,” but what it truly wants is for China to refrain from retaliating verbally or physically when offended.

He was referring to US President Joe Biden’s comments last month that the US would “compete fully with China but [is] not looking for conflict”.

Mr. Qin said: “If the US does not put on the brakes and continues to roar down the wrong road, no amount of guardrails can stop the derailment and overturning, and it is bound to fall into conflict and confrontation. Who will bear its disastrous consequences?”

The US acted with “the presumption of guilt,” he added, which could have prevented the diplomatic crisis brought on by the balloon episode.

The alleged surveillance balloon has previously been called a “clear infringement of US sovereignty” by Washington. Beijing acknowledged ownership of the object but said it was a civilian airship that had been blown off course.

The two nations’ relations deteriorated under the administration of former US President Donald Trump, who in 2018 started a trade war with China.

On a number of topics, including Taiwan, China’s militarization of the South China Sea, and the origins of Covid, the two countries continue to engage in conflict.

Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unusually outspoken criticism of the US on Monday, Mr. Qin made his remarks.

Mr. Xi said “Western countries led by the US had implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression” against China and that this brought “severe challenges” to the country.

On Tuesday, Mr. Qin said an “invisible hand” was driving the Ukraine crisis but did not name any country or individual.

He reiterated that China had not provided weapons to either side of the Russia-Ukraine war and called for peace talks to resume.

However, he asked: “Why should the US demand that China refrain from supplying arms to Russia when it sells arms to Taiwan?”

The Ukraine crisis has reached a “critical juncture”, he said.

“Either a ceasefire will stop the war, restore peace and embark on a political settlement, or fuel the fire, expand the crisis and drag it into the abyss of losing control.”

One of the youngest candidates to hold this position in China’s history, Mr. Qin, 56, was appointed as the country’s foreign minister in December 2022.

On October of that same year, Wang Yi was promoted to the Communist Party’s politburo, taking Wang Yi’s post.

Mr. Qin, a dependable advisor to Chinese President Xi Jinping, is a well-known diplomat with a harsh tongue.

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