That’s how seriously Beijing takes its massive threats

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Beijing takes off its sheep’s clothing. Head of State Xi Jinping (69) and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (56) attacked the West with unusually sharp words. Above all, Xi accused the US of trying to slow down his country’s rise in the world.

Xi said on the sidelines of the People’s Congress: “Western countries in particular, led by the United States, are pursuing comprehensive containment, encirclement and suppression of China, posing unprecedented serious challenges to China’s development.”

Words like “encirclement” had been used by Moscow even before the attack on Ukraine.

Moments later, at his first press conference Tuesday, his new foreign minister, Qin Gang, warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the US “does not slam on the brakes and continue down the wrong path.” Then “so many guardrails” could not prevent a “derailment” from taking place, “leading to conflict and confrontation”.

A threat of war

What do they mean by their threats? According to Simona A. Grano (44), China expert at the University of Zurich, Xi mainly focuses on the Taiwan issue. “China views recent US actions as interference in its own internal affairs. It indicates that a real showdown could ensue if the US doesn’t back down.”

“Real confrontation”: This means that China could use force against the US. The United States supports the island nation with, among other things, arms deliveries.

Whether China will continue to expand cooperation with Russia depends on the development of China’s relations with the US and Europe, as well as the course of the war in Ukraine. Grano: “At this point, I tend to think it makes more sense for China to stick to the ‘pro-Russian neutrality stance’.”

With its 12-point peace plan, China has indicated that it wants to strengthen its international influence again. “If it goes too far on Russia’s side, these efforts will be jeopardized,” says Grano.

The China expert also believes that Beijing – contrary to what Washington claims – will not supply weapons to Russia. Grano: “Beijing will try to maintain this position to keep relations with the US and EU free of sanctions.”

Charm offensive towards Europe

China is trying to ally with Europe. Xi said China wants to work more closely with the European side “to maintain genuine multilateralism, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation”. A strengthened partnership between China and the EU can bring more stability, security and positive energy to the world. However, Xi assessed the current situation as difficult.

This charm offensive makes sense, according to Grano, as Europe has always been a place where China could pursue its own trade interests with less geopolitical tension than with the US. After three years of poor planning in the economy and international relations, China wants to avoid too many open fronts and bottlenecks, says Grano.

And Xi pursues a different goal. Grano: “It is in China’s interest to break the transatlantic unity that has grown since the Russian invasion.”

Source: Blick