Firmly Established China's 'US Containment and Pro-Europe' Diplomatic Line... What About South Korea?

Was it a 'Red Card'... Coming out holding a red constitution booklet
Declaring 'One China' and warning the US
Reaching out to Europe as a "strategic partner"

China's diplomatic line, aimed at countering the United States and approaching Europe, is becoming increasingly blatant. Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in his first press conference since his appointment, unleashed criticism against the U.S. while calling Europe a 'partner,' revealing a temperature difference toward the Western alliance.

At a press conference held on the 7th at the Beijing Media Center, Qin Gang warned, "If the U.S. side does not hit the brakes and recklessly rushes down the wrong path, no matter how many guardrails there are, derailment and overturning cannot be prevented, and it will inevitably fall into collision and confrontation." Qin was appointed ambassador to the U.S. in July 2021, when U.S.-China relations deteriorated, and rose to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the end of last year. He has continued to make tough remarks against the U.S. and has become a symbol of China’s ‘wolf warrior diplomacy.’

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the U.S., "An athlete who trips opponents on the track"

Throughout the 110-minute press conference, Qin appeared composed but consistently gave sharp answers to questions about U.S.-China relations. This reflects the more prominent 'offensive diplomacy' under President Xi Jinping’s administration, known as y?u su? zu? w?i (有所作?, actively taking action to achieve results).

Regarding questions from the U.S. media about the reconnaissance balloon issue, he described it as "an unavoidable accidental and unexpected incident," adding, "The U.S. also recognized it was not a real threat but abused force and created a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided." He further criticized, "The U.S. policy toward China, which started off on the wrong foot, has completely deviated from a rational and sound proper track," and said, "What the U.S. calls competition is actually all-out containment and suppression, a zero-sum game where if you die, I live." He explained, "The U.S. says it wants to set guardrails in China-U.S. relations to avoid collisions, but it is actually blocking China’s counterattacks," continuing his earlier remarks about 'disastrous consequences.'

He particularly likened the U.S. to a cheating athlete, saying, "If in Olympic track events, an athlete constantly trips opponents and even causes them to compete in the Paralympics, that is not fair competition but malicious confrontation." He also raised the level of criticism by saying, "The U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy claims to advocate freedom and openness but actually forms cliques, builds various closed and exclusive fences, and while claiming to safeguard regional security, it actually provokes confrontation and schemes to create an Asia-Pacific NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)."

On the 7th, Qin Gang, China's Foreign Minister, responded to a question about the possibility of a US-China military clash in the Taiwan Strait during a press conference held at the China Beijing Media Center. He showed a prepared copy of the Chinese Constitution. (Photo by China CCTV)

Like a 'Red Card'... a calculated performance

The most eye-catching moment of the press conference was when Qin took out a red copy of the Chinese Constitution, like a 'red card.' When a domestic journalist asked about the possibility of a military clash between the U.S. and China in the Taiwan Strait, he said, "I knew that question would come," and pulled out the book. He then read from the relevant constitution before answering, saying, "Taiwan is a sacred part of the territory of the People's Republic of China. Completing the great cause of national reunification is the sacred duty of all the people, including our compatriots in Taiwan." This was a kind of 'warning' performance to reaffirm the 'One China' principle to the U.S. He added, "Resolving the Taiwan issue is the responsibility of the Chinese people, and no foreign power has the right to interfere," and said, "We firmly oppose recent interference by high-ranking U.S. officials and are on high alert."

On the other hand, he maintained a conciliatory attitude toward Europe. Qin emphasized, "Exchanges between China and Europe are entirely independently chosen based on mutual strategic interests," and said, "The relationship between China and Europe is not aimed at any third party, nor is it dependent on or constrained by any third party." He added, "No matter how the situation develops, China will always regard the European Union (EU) as a comprehensive strategic partner and support European integration." When asked about the possibility of future arms support to Russia, he answered in the past tense, "We have not provided weapons to either side in the conflict," and avoided a direct answer regarding President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Russia, saying, "Exchanges between leaders are the compass and yardstick of China-Russia relations."

During the press conference, Qin answered questions from seven Chinese media outlets including China Central Television (CCTV), Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, Phoenix TV, and Global Times, as well as seven foreign media outlets including U.S. NBC, Russian TASS, French AFP, and Japanese NHK. However, he did not take questions from Korean media, and as a result, there were no remarks related to Korea-China or North Korea relations.