Xi strikes back at US 'siege' of China; Foreign Minister strongly criticizes 'hysterical neo-McCarthyism'

Originally published in Geopolitical Economy Report 3/8/23. Translated and adapted by Rubens Turkienicz exclusively for Brasil 247.

Chinese President Xi Jinping denounced Western attempts, led by the US, to "contain, encircle and suppress China."

Foreign Minister Qin Gang also warned that the US government is pursuing a “hysterical neo-McCarthism” and that its “so-called 'competition' means containing and suppressing China in every aspect and trapping the two countries in a zero-sum game.”

Chinese political leaders are often very cautious and diplomatic with their language and frequently warn against the US's "Cold War mentality."

These assertive comments demonstrate that Beijing is defending itself and reacting while Washington wages a new and increasingly aggressive cold war.

“Western countries led by the US have contained, surrounded and suppressed China in a complete manner, raising severe and unprecedented challenges to China’s development,” Xi said in a March 7 speech, reported by the state-run Xinghua news agency.

Acknowledging the growing geopolitical tensions, Xi said that China “is facing strong winds and turbulent waters in the international environment.” He added that “the external environment for China’s development has changed dramatically, with uncertainties and unexpected factors increasing notably.”

The Wall Street Journal noted that "Xi's comments marked an unusual departure for a leader who has generally refrained from directly criticizing the U.S. in public statements — even though his decade-long leadership has demonstrated a pessimistic view of bilateral relations."

"Xi has typically been more restrained and vague regarding the U.S. and other Western countries, referring to them as 'certain countries' rather than explicitly naming them," the newspaper said.

John Pang, a former Malaysian government official who frequently writes for Chinese media outlets, noted that “unlike Western politicians, Chinese leaders err on the side of euphemisms and indirectness when discussing external threats; they also don’t like to justify policies very much. I don’t recall him ever saying this so directly.”

Despite these challenges, President Xi noted that his country continues to progress: “China’s GDP has registered annual growth of 5,2 percent over the past five years. As planned, we have won the critical battle against poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.”

Xi also reiterated his commitment "to the common prosperity of all the Chinese people."

In separate comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that "the US claim of 'shaping the strategic environment in which China operates' actually reveals the true purpose of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, which is to encircle China."

She was referring to statements made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who announced this containment policy in a speech in May 2022.

Hua stated: “Asia should be a stage for win-win cooperation, rather than a chessboard for geopolitical competition. No Cold War should be reignited and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang says the US seeks to "contain and suppress China in all aspects."

China's new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, held a press conference on March 7 in which he made similar comments.

He referenced the manufactured crisis in February, in which US military forces shot down a Chinese balloon, which their own experts acknowledged had likely been blown off course due to bad weather.

Qin said that the fact that this balloon entered US airspace “was entirely caused by a force majeure.” He pointed out that “not even the US believed that the balloon posed a physical threat.”

“However, in violation of the spirit of international law and customary international practices, the US acted with a presumption of guilt,” Qin added. “They overreacted, abused force, and dramatized the incident, creating a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided.”

Noting that Washington “considers China its main rival and its greatest geopolitical challenge,” the Chinese Foreign Minister argued that “the US perception and views of China are seriously distorted.”

He declared (emphasis added):

The US claims it seeks to "outperform" China, but it is not seeking conflict. However, in reality, Their so-called "competition" means containing and suppressing China in every respect and locking the two countries into a zero-sum game.The US talks a lot about following rules. But imagine two athletes competing in an Olympic race. If one of the athletes, instead of focusing on doing their best, is always trying to trip or even hurt the other, This is not a fair competition, but rather a confrontation. That's a foul!

The so-called "establishment of protective barriers" for China-US relations and "non-conflict seeking" actually means that China should not respond with words or actions when it is slandered or attacked. This is simply impossible!

If the US doesn't hit the brakes, but continues accelerating in the wrong direction, there won't be enough guardrails to prevent a derailment and... There will certainly be conflict and confrontation. Who will bear the catastrophic consequences of this?Such competition is a reckless game...whose stakes are the fundamental interests of both peoples and even the future of humanity. Naturally, China firmly opposes all of this.

If the US has the ambition to become great again, it must also be open-minded to the development of other countries. Containment and suppression will not make the US great again, nor will they prevent China's rejuvenation.

The Chinese Foreign Minister was careful to distinguish the people of the US from his own government.

"Increasingly, insightful and understanding people in the U.S. are deeply concerned about the current state of China-U.S. relations, and have been calling for a rational and pragmatic policy toward China," he said.

Qin previously served as China's ambassador to the US between 2021 and 2023.

He fondly recalled his time working in the US and the friends he made there.

"The American people, like the Chinese people, are friendly, kind, and sincere, and they want a better life and a better world," he emphasized.

Qin concluded (emphasis added):

I am convinced that China-US relations should be determined by common interests, shared responsibilities of the two countries and by friendship between the peoples of China and the USA, instead of US domestic politics, or the hysterical neo-McCarthyism.

China will continue to follow the principles proposed by President Xi Jinping, that is, Mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation., in order to seek a solid and stable relationship with the United States.

We hope that the US government will heed the calls of both peoples and free them.-se strategic anxiety of "inflation of threats", Abandon the zero-sum mentality of the Cold War.