© Mizuho MiyazakiChina's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a news conference in Beijing on March 7.
"The U.S. has been devising various tactics to suppress China and kept lengthening its unilateral sanction list, reaching a bewildering level of unfathomable absurdity," Wang told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing.
Wang's critique comes months after Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. counterpart Joe Biden met in California in an effort to stabilize relations, agreeing to step up bilateral dialogue. Wang said subsequent high-level exchanges between the two biggest powers had "met the wishes of both countries and the world."
Comment:
But the veteran diplomat questioned Washington's continued rollout of technology-related sanctions, such as efforts to limit China's access to semiconductors.
"If it persistently monopolizes the high-end of the value chain and keeps China at the low-end, where is fairness and competition?" Wang asked. "If the U.S. is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself."
Comment: It already is doing: US chip performance beaten by Chinese start up in independent testing, thwarting US blacklisting
Asked how China sees tensions in the Taiwan Strait following the self-ruled island's presidential election in January, Wang reiterated Beijing's oft-repeated goal of reunification while delivering a stern warning to anyone in the world who offers support for Taiwan's independence. "They will get burned for playing with fire and taste the bitter fruit of their own doing," he said.
China's Communist Party government has never ruled Taiwan, and the island remains a key source of friction with the U.S. amid fears of a potential conflict in the strait. The China-skeptic Democratic Progressive Party retained the presidency in the polls, with Lai Ching-te set to succeed Tsai Ing-wen.
Wang also fielded questions on topics ranging from the conflict in Gaza to ties with Russia.
"The China-Russia relationship moves ahead along the trend of time towards multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations," said Wang, adding that the alliance with Moscow enables "positive interactions among major countries." Beijing's "no limits" embrace of Russia has put it at odds with Western allies that are applying heavy sanctions and pressure on President Vladimir Putin's government over its invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign media attention on Wang's news conference was intense, partly because Premier Li Qiang's annual post-congress briefing was abruptly canceled. As a result, Wang is likely to be the highest-ranking official to have direct exchanges with the press during this annual gathering. When a group of Nikkei journalists arrived at the venue two and a half hours before the scheduled start time, at least 100 reporters were already lined up at the door, mostly from international outlets.
The way the annual press conference is run is widely interpreted as a reflection of China's diplomatic stance at the time, as queries are screened and planted, according to multiple foreign journalists who were given the chance to ask questions on Thursday.
Comment: Even with screenings and plants, Biden can't manage more than a few minutes talking to reporters, and, even then he babbles, slurrs, mixes up his words, and forgets where he is mid-sentence.
Chinese state media are prioritized, and this year it was a prominent news broadcaster from CCTV who got to go first. The first question from foreign media came from Russian outlet Rossiya Segodnya, before Bloomberg from the U.S. was given a chance to ask one. Among the international media, the pecking order on Thursday after Russia and the U.S. was Egypt, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia, Tanzania, South Korea, Pakistan, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates. In his responses, Wang made several mentions of China's engagement with the emerging economies of the so-called Global South.
Wang described the relationship between China and Africa as a "representative case of vigorous development of the Global South." He also emphasized the decision to expand the BRICS grouping -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- to symbolize the "collective rise of the Global South" and "acceleration of the multipolarization of the world order." The BRICS members agreed last August to include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates in their framework.
On the other hand, missing or barely touched upon during the press conference were relations with countries such as Japan, Australia, Canada and the Philippines.
Comment: Probably because he wouldn't have much positive to say about these US vassals? Japan plans to build more bomb shelters on remote islands amid concerns of 'growing tensions'
In addition, the subject of the U.S. presidential election was conspicuously absent, even though a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump looks all but set. Thursday's briefing closely followed U.S. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's decision to drop out of the race, leaving Trump as the party's sole contender for the November polls. Trump is known for his "America First" foreign policy, and the possibility that he could win a second presidency is another unpredictable factor looming over the U.S.-China relationship.
The matter of Wang's sudden return to the position of foreign minister was also not discussed at the news conference.
Wang last July reprised the role after Qin Gang was ousted without an explanation, but the 70-year-old is seen as a caretaker until a permanent replacement can be chosen. By convention, the foreign minister is one of four state councilors, a rank above minister in the State Council -- China's central government. But that position has been left vacant since Qin's termination.
Comment: If only these media types gave as much attention to their own, usually much worse, scandals: Senior Tory 'spiked 4 people with rape drug, including 2 other MPs', follows arrest of another MP for sex offences
Wang is also a director of the Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, a policymaking body led by President Xi Jinping.
Since no questions on the foreign minister's job were included, one journalist rushed toward Wang as the news conference ended after about an hour and a half, shouting, "Why did Qin Gang get fired?"
Wang did not answer and walked away.
So... this is downright brilliant stuff from our masters.
I can't bear it when people call them stupid, even if I allowed you that thought, the Buddhists were correct when they said there is no "evil" , only ignorance... the same thing.