China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has lashed out at the United States for its "bewildering" trade policy and accused Washington of "devising various tactics to suppress China" during a news conference on the sidelines of a political gathering in Beijing. Wang's comments come as China champions high-tech development in the face of mounting curbs from the US.
In his remarks, Wang criticized the US for its "lengthening" unilateral sanctions list, which he said had reached "bewildering levels of unfathomable absurdity." He questioned the US's confidence as a major country and its commitment to international fairness and competition.
"If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word China, where is its confidence as a major country?" Wang asked. "If it only wants itself to prosper, but denies other countries legitimate development, where is international fairness? If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness and competition?"
Despite the criticism, Wang noted that there had been "some improvements" in the US-China relationship since the summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco last November. He called on Washington to work with Beijing "to bring the relationship back on the track of stable, sound and sustainable development."
In stark contrast to his comments on the US, Wang praised China's burgeoning relationship and record trade with Russia. Bilateral trade between the two countries hit a historic $240 billion last year, surpassing a target of $200 billion set by Xi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2019 ahead of schedule.
"Russian natural gas is fueling numerous Chinese households and Chinese-made automobiles are running on Russian roads," Wang said. "All this shows the strong resilience and broad prospects of China-Russia mutually beneficial cooperation."
Wang also addressed simmering tensions in the disputed South China Sea, where non-lethal but increasingly tense clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels have raised concerns about the risk of conflict. He warned that China would take "justified actions to defend our rights in accordance with the law" and respond with "prompt and legitimate countermeasures" in the face of "unwarranted provocation."
The foreign minister also demanded that members of the UN Security Council stop blocking Palestine from becoming a member of the United Nations. "We support Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations and call on individual members of the Security Council not to set obstacles for this any more," Wang said.
On the issue of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, Wang reiterated China's commitment to "peaceful reunification" but warned that "whoever in the world" supports Taiwan independence will get "burned for playing with fire." He accused countries that maintain official ties with Taiwan of interfering in China's domestic affairs.
China's ruling Communist Party has been using the "two sessions" gathering of its rubber-stamp legislature and top political advisory body to send a message that it will boost its self-reliance in the face of tech frictions with the US. The government announced plans to increase its annual budget for science and technology by 10% to an unprecedented 370.8 billion yuan ($51.6 billion) - the biggest jump since 2019 after years of minimal growth.
As tensions continue to simmer between China and the US, as well as in the South China Sea and over Taiwan, Wang's comments underscore Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy stance and its determination to defend its interests in the face of what it perceives as US aggression and interference.
