China FM Warns of Conflict With US

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Facts

• During his first public appearance as China's foreign minister at the country's annual parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, recently appointed Qin Gang warned that Washington and Beijing are on a path towards 'conflict and confrontation' unless the US changes policy.¹
• Qin alleged that the US engages in suppression and containment of China instead of fair competition, which he says China will not continue to tolerate. He added that the US erroneously “regards China as its primary rival' and 'most consequential geopolitical challenge.”²
• White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby disagreed, saying that US policy on China has remained consistent, adding that US Pres. Joe Biden believes tensions can be overcome and that the US wants competition, not conflict.³
• Qin also used the conference as an opportunity to defend China's relationship with Russia, saying that it “set an example for global foreign relations” and that “the more unstable the world becomes the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations.”⁴
• Affairs between the US and China have become strained in recent years, notably in regard to trade, human rights, and the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing recognizes as its sovereign territory.²
• Relations hit a low earlier this year when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by a US fighter jet. Qin also criticized the US response, which he says created “a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided.”¹

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Al Jazeera, ³Associated Press and ⁴Guardian.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by CNN. Qin, who had established a reputation for being cautious, has quickly changed tune with his latest provocative rhetoric, which demonstrates Beijing's hegemonic global policies. US officials are worried about China's expansive political and economic goals and the possibility of war over Taiwan, with many rightly calling for efforts to curb Chinese influence abroad. Beijing is the one provoking conflict, as exhibited by this inflammatory speech.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The US may say that it's establishing protections to prevent conflict with China, but in reality, it's just creating a practice where China isn't allowed to respond when it's attacked or slandered. Western nations, led by the US, have implemented unfair containment and suppression of Beijing, and any consequences that come from this provocation are Washington's to bear.