(Updated throughout with comments and additional material)
BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) – The Chinese government on Tuesday blamed the United States for rising tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, warning of a risk of “conflict and confrontation” if Washington does not alter the course in which he is engaged.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing on the sidelines of parliament’s annual plenary session, the Chinese foreign minister also said an “invisible hand” seemed to be fueling the conflict in Ukraine.
Washington has embarked on repression and containment of China rather than competition, Qin Gang said. It is a “risky bet” whose stakes are the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American populations, and even the future of humanity, he added.
Tense for years, particularly over Taiwan, trade and human rights, tensions between China and the United States have been fueled by the war in Ukraine and by the controversy over a Chinese balloon that flew over American territory.
Washington shot down the device it presented as a spy balloon last month, which Beijing has denied. The United States’ handling of this “balloon affair” created a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided, Qin Gang said.
During a press conference, the head of Chinese diplomacy also declared that an “invisible hand” was using the crisis in Ukraine to “serve a certain geopolitical agenda”.
“Conflict, sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem…” Qin Gang said, calling for dialogue. “The process of peace negotiations must begin as soon as possible, and the legitimate security concerns of all parties must be respected,” he continued.
The comments come amid growing tensions between China and the European Union, which has said it doubts Beijing’s sincerity in its willingness to mediate as it refuses to describe the offensive in Ukraine as an aggression by the Russia.
Thinly veiled response to US accusations, Qin Gang also said that China had not supplied arms to any of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine. Washington has warned of “unspecified consequences” if Beijing decides to help Moscow militarily.
(Report Ryan Woo; French version Jean Terzian)
