Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

China’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, spoke at lengths on the country's foreign policy and diplomatic relations at a press conference on Mar. 7.

It was held on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, one of the country’s annual “Two Sessions” or lianghui.

Qin was appointed as China's Foreign Minister in December 2022.

He previously served as China’s Ambassador to the U.S. from 2021 to 2023 and as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2021.

He also met Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during the latter’s visit to Beijing in February 2023.

On Taiwan

In response to a reporter’s question on the likelihood of a conflict between the U.S. and China over the Taiwan issue, Qin first quoted two lines from the preamble of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.

Taiwan is part of China's territory, and it is the "inviolable duty" of China's people, including "those in Taiwan", to achieve the task of unification.

"Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people, and no other countries have the right to interfere in it," Qin said, and derided comments from "senior U.S. officials" that implied this matter was not an internal one of China's.

Qin noted that they “reserve the option of taking all necessary measures”, and if the Anti-Secession Law is violated, they "must act" in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

"No one should ever underestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

He elaborated that Taiwan remains the core of China’s core interests and the “first red line that must not be crossed” in China-U.S. relations.

Qin later said that mishandling of the Taiwan issue would shake the foundations of U.S-China relations. A peaceful Taiwan Strait can be achieved if the U.S. stopped exploiting the Taiwan question to "contain China" and unequivocally oppose Taiwan independence, he added.

On Russian invasion of Ukraine

Qin also urged the U.S. to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs” and called out what he said was double standards.

He questioned:

“Why does the U.S. talk at length about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on Ukraine, while disrespecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity over the Taiwan question?”

“Why does the U.S. ask China not to provide weapons to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan, in violation of the August 17th communiqué?”

However, Qin did not mention that Russia started the war by invading Ukraine, or the fact that Taiwan and China are not currently in open conflict. In late February 2023, the U.S. shared intelligence that China is considering providing Russian forces with lethal aid.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned top China diplomat Wang Yi of "consequences" should China proceed. The leaders of China and Ukraine declared a "no-limits partnership" in early 2022, before the invasion.

China not a party in war in Ukraine

Qin emphasised that China is not a party in the crisis and said it has not provided weapons to "either side" of the conflict.

He also referred to the 12-point document on China’s stance to the war that the Chinese foreign ministry had put out earlier in the month, which pushed for peace talks.

“Regrettably, however, efforts for peace talks have been repeatedly undermined. There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict,” Qin said, adding that "conflict, sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem."

He encouraged peace talks to begin as soon as possible in order to achieve “durable security in Europe”.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is "open" to China's peace plan, but said it would only be acceptable if Russia's President Vladimir Putin pulls all of his troops out of Ukrainian territory.

On US-China relations

A balloon that flew over U.S. territory, which the U.S. said to have contained spy equipment while China claimed it was merely a weather balloon, came up for discussion. It was shot down by the U.S.

Calling the balloon saga “an accident”, Qin said that though the balloon did not pose any physical threat, the U.S. acted with “a presumption of guilt”.

He said that the U.S. had overreacted, dramatised the accident and caused a diplomatic crisis “that could have been avoided”.

Qin hit out at the U.S. for its claim to out-compete China without conflict, and called it an attempt to “contain and suppress China in all respects”, and locking the two countries in a “zero-sum game”.

"If the United States does not hit the brakes, and continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guard rails can prevent derailing, and there surely will be conflict and confrontation. Who will bear the catastrophic consequences?” Qin asked.

"Such competition is a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and even the future of humanity. Naturally, China is firmly opposed to all this," he added.

Nevertheless, he called the American people “friendly, kind and sincere”, just like the Chinese people, who want a better life and a better world. He recounted his experiences from living and working in the U.S., and appealed to the U.S. to take into consideration both sides’ concerns and abandon the "Cold War mentality".

He also stressed that China would continue to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in order to pursue “sound and stable” relations with the U.S.

On Asean

Qin also answered a question on what he thought about regional countries finding it harder to depend on the U.S. for security guarantees and on China for economic development.

He said that the U.S.’ Indo-Pacific strategy was an attempt to “gang up to form exclusive blocs to provoke confrontation” by creating an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Such an attempt by the U.S. would only “disrupt the Asean-centred, open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture” and undermine regional integration through decoupling and cutting chains, Qin expressed.

He commented that leaders of the regional countries already emphasised that Asean should not be a proxy for any party and should therefore stay clear of big power rivalry.

Noting that the region should be a “stage for win-win cooperation” rather than a “chessboard for geopolitical contest”, Qin stressed that an Ukraine-style crisis should never be repeated in Asia.

At the recent G20 meeting in New Delhi, India, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that the U.S. and China should engage each other and de-escalate tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea.

On Japan

Qin talked about Japan-China relations and said that the memories of the wartime suffering imposed by "Japanese militarists" on China is still painful today.

He warned against forgetting these historical crimes, and to deny a crime is to "repeat" a crime.

Qin also raised the issue of Japan's decision to discharge radioactive Fukushima wastewater into sea, calling it "not just Japan's private issue" but one which would have consequences on marine and human health.

He then urged Japan to handle the manner responsibly.

Other points covered during the press conference were the Belt and Road Initiative, China's economy, debt trap issues, relations with the Middle East and European Union as well as the "Wolf Warrior" narrative.

Related:

Top image via Getty Images