China’s foreign minister criticises Washington and EU while lauding Sino-Russia relations

The sentries from the People’s Armed Police were back on their plinths at Beijing’s bigger subway stations this week, dressed in their smartest uniforms for the Two Sessions. China’s annual legislative meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square follows a strict pattern but there were a couple of changes this year.

The first was to the weather, which is usually so warm and sunny that it could be specially engineered for the occasion, has been icy with gale force winds. And premier Li Qiang’s press conference, which usually closes the Two Sessions, has been cancelled not just for this year but for the foreseeable future.

The official justification – that reporters had so many opportunities to question ministers during the week that the premier’s press conference would be superfluous – was clearly implausible. Theories about the real reason range from it being Xi Jinping’s latest step towards disabling the collective leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to the suggestion that the premier is not yet able to say how the government plans to address the country’s economic problems.

Foreign minister Wang Yi’s press conference went ahead as planned on Thursday and he answered more than 20 questions from Chinese and foreign reporters over 90 minutes. Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, China’s relationships with the United States and the European Union and the future of the Global South were among the issues he covered.

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Little is left to chance on these occasions and it was telling that the first foreign journalist to be called on was from a Russian news organisation

Wang also announced that Irish citizens will be able to visit China without a visa from March 14th, along with those from Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. Li promised visa-free access for up to 15 days when he visited Ireland in January but it was not clear until now when the scheme would begin.

Little is left to chance on these occasions and it was telling that the first foreign journalist to be called on was from a Russian news organisation. Wang said that China and Russia had created a new paradigm of major power relations that was completely different from the old cold war era.

“In today’s world, hegemony is unpopular, division has no future, major powers should not confront each other, and the cold war cannot be repeated. Sino-Russian relations conform to the trend of the times of world multipolarity and democratisation of international relations, and are of great value to maintaining global strategic stability, promoting healthy interaction between major powers, and promoting co-operation among emerging major powers,” he said.

Wang had more critical words for the US, suggesting that Washington had failed to follow through on commitments made when Xi met Joe Biden in San Francisco last year. There has been a marked improvement in relations since then and the number of near-misses by US and Chinese military ships and aircraft off China’s coast has dwindled to zero.

But Wang complained that the US continues to take action to suppress China’s economic and scientific development, extending the list of sanctions.

[ US says it will act if China dumps goods on global markets ]

“If the United States consistently says one thing and does another, where is the credibility of a major country? If the United States becomes nervous and anxious at the mention of the word ‘China’, where is the confidence of a major country? If the United States only focuses on its own prosperity and does not allow other countries to develop legitimately, where is international justice? If the United States insists on monopolising the high end of the value chain and only permits China to stay at the low end, where is fair competition?” he said.

‘In fact, China and the EU do not have any fundamental conflict of interests or geopolitical contradictions. Their common interests far outweigh the differences’

—  China's foreign minister Wang Yi

Since Wang took over the foreign minister’s brief after the mysterious disappearance of Qin Gang last year, Chinese diplomats have been on a global charm offensive. Wolf Warrior diplomacy, the aggressive style of statecraft named after a nationalistic action movie which was dominant in recent years, has taken a back seat.

Flashpoints remain and China’s maritime dispute with the Philippines this week saw a Chinese coast guard vessel use water cannon on a Philippine ship in a contested part of the South China Sea. But Wang’s tone on Thursday was for the most part emollient, even when he criticised the EU’s characterisation of China as a partner, a competitor and an institutional rival.

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“It is like driving a car to a crossroads with red, yellow and green lights all lit simultaneously – how can the car proceed?” he said.

“In fact, China and the EU do not have any fundamental conflict of interests or geopolitical contradictions. Their common interests far outweigh the differences. The correct positioning for China-EU relations should be that of partners, with co-operation as the mainstream, autonomy and independence as the key value, and a win-win prospect for development.”