Xi Jinping Criticizes United States Efforts to Contain and Encircle China
Jose Nino
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During a speech he gave at the annual summit of the Communist Party of China, Chinese strongman Xi Jinping had harsh words for the United States after declaring that it is spearheading a “containment, encirclement and suppression of China.”
Xi proclaimed that China is facing “unprecedented severe challenges” from the Collective West, per a Press TV report.
“Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our country’s development,” Xi said as quoted by Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News Agency .
Xi claims that in the past five years China has faced increasing challenges from the Collective West. Namely, in the form of measures designed to impede China’s economic growth. The Collective West has gradually worked to restrict technology exports to China in the past few years.
These developments have prompted China to take a more economic nationalist line and reduce its reliance on imports from the Collective West in the areas of artificial intelligence and semiconductors — two sectors the Chinese state views as essential for national security purposes.
On top of that, the US is working to broaden its restrictions on chipmaking equipment exports to China.
Xi said China must “have the courage to fight” as it confronts “profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape” while urging private firms to “take the initiative to pursue high-quality development.”
The Chinese leaders also promised to bolster China’s manufacturing capacity, emphasizing the need for the East Asian giant to become economically autonomous and defend itself.
“I’ve always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl, and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector,” he stated. “As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves… We can’t depend on international markets to save us.”
On March 7, 2023, China’s foreign minister Qin Gang said that the US’s policy towards China would not negatively impact China’s “rejuvenation.”
“If the United States has the ambition to make itself great again, it should also have a broad mind for the development of other countries,” Qin said. “Containment and suppression will not make America great. It will not stop the rejuvenation of China.”
Qin also noted that “conflict and confrontation” with the US will be an inevitability if the US maintains its “reckless” foreign policy towards China.
Indeed, China is emerging as a great power with its own national interests that will anger foreign policy planners in the West. However, as a nuclear power, China will have the ability to maintain its territorial integrity and exercise controversial geopolitical moves in its sphere of influence. That’s something most interventionists in the US can’t come to grips with.
That said, there are legitimate grievances that need to be fleshed out with China. Namely, its trade practices and its use of Chinese nationals to conduct espionage in the US. However, such issues can be solved through America First measures such as trade decoupling and immigration restriction. There’s no need to launch a war here.
Sadly, because of the anti-nationalist bent of US elites, they will not consider such sensible reforms and will opt for bellicose activity instead, much to Middle America’s and the rest of the world’s detriment.
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