“Western countries, led by the United States, have carried out a policy of encirclement against China,” the Chinese leader said Monday night during a parliamentary session in Beijing.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 07/03/2023 at 06:41
This content is not accessible to all.
Xi Jinping on October 23, 2022 in Beijing. TINGSHU WANG / Portal
Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned his country’s “containment” and “suppression” by the West, and particularly the United States, during a parliamentary session in Beijing, according to state media.
Issues of contention have multiplied in recent years, from the treatment of Uyghur Muslims to trade imbalances, Taiwan, dominance in advanced technologies or allegations of espionage. They led to Western and especially American sanctions against China, to which Beijing reacted.
This content is not accessible to all.
“Politics of Containment”
“China’s external development environment has been changing rapidly. Uncertain and unpredictable factors have increased significantly,” Xi Jinping said, according to a report by the Chinese news agency released Monday evening. “Western countries, led by the United States, have implemented policies of containment, encirclement and repression against China that have posed unprecedented challenges to our country’s development,” he added.
The 69-year-old leader, who faces an unprecedented third term as president in a few days, spoke to members of an advisory committee during the annual parliamentary session. Xi Jinping also said the past five years have been marked by a series of new obstacles that threatened to slow China’s economic rise.
Hard battle for semiconductors
China-US relations were particularly strained last month after a Chinese balloon was shot down by the US military on suspicion of spying on US military installations. The case forced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to China that would have helped defuse sensitive issues such as China’s stance on the war in Ukraine, technology competition and the Taiwan issue.
China and the United States are locked in a bitter battle over semiconductor manufacturing as the Americans have lost their dominant position to the Asian giants. In the name of a perceived threat to its national security, the United States has multiplied sanctions in recent months against Chinese chipmakers who are now prevented from sourcing American technology.
” ALSO READ – China is increasing its military budget
Visits by Western parliamentarians, particularly Americans, to Taiwan, an island whose sovereignty Beijing claims to annex to mainland China, have also contributed to strained relations.
This content is not accessible to all.