Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
09 March 2023 | 13:17 CAT

Image: The Guardian

The US and China are towards inevitable conflict if Washington does not change its approach, China’s new foreign minister has said in a fiery press conference in which he defended his country’s strengthening relationship with Russia.

In his first media appearance as foreign minister, held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the “two sessions” political gathering, Qin Gang outlined China’s foreign policy agenda for the coming years, presenting China and its relationship with Russia as a beacon of strength and stability, and the US and its allies as a source of tension and conflict.

Research Director at the University of Johannesburg Center for Africa-China Studies, Dr Emmanuel Mantambu, told Radio Islam International the 56-year-old is a seasoned diplomat and was China’s Ambassador to the United States as late as last year. He won the confidence of the people of China following his appointment in Washington.

“Qin is a very tough talking diplomat and more should be expected,” he says.

Qin said the US side claimed it wanted to outcompete China but didn’t seek conflict, “but in reality, the US side’s so-called competition is all-out containment and suppression.

According to Dr Matambu, Qin’s comments aligned with a speech by China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to political delegates on Monday, decrying what he called US-led “suppression” of China.

Meanwhile, Qin defended the close friendship between China and Russia, a relationship closely watched by the west in light of the war in Ukraine. He said the ties between Beijing and Moscow “set an example for global foreign relations”.

“With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force,” he said. “The more unstable the world becomes the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations.”

Listen to the interview with presenter ML Habib Bobat and his guest Dr Emmanuel Matambu on Radio Islam’s podcast.