Xi Jinping condemns Western ‘oppression’ and ‘control’ targeting China

“The West, led by the United States, has implemented a policy of encirclement against China,” the Chinese leader said during a parliamentary session in Beijing on Monday evening.

Via Le Figaro with AFP

Posted On 07/03/2023 at 06:41

China’s President Xi Jinping has condemned in a parliamentary meeting held in Beijingcontrol” and this “oppressionHis country’s Westerners and especially the United States, according to state media.

Subjects of friction have proliferated in recent years, from the treatment of Uighur Muslims to an imbalance in the trade balance with Taiwan, dominating advanced technologies or accusations of espionage. They have prompted Western and particularly American sanctions targeting China, to which Beijing has responded.

“Principle of Control”

“China’s external development environment is undergoing rapid changes. Uncertainty and unpredictability factors have increased significantlyXi Jinping said, according to a New China News Agency account published on Monday evening. “Western countries, led by the United States, have implemented a policy of containment, encirclement and suppression against China, which has led to unprecedented challenges to our country’s development.“, he added.

The 69-year-old leader, who is set for an unprecedented third term as president in a matter of days, spoke to members of the advisory panel during the annual parliamentary session. Xi Jinping said new barriers have emerged in the past five years and threaten to slow China’s economic growth.

Fierce Battle for Semiconductors

Sino-US relations reached a particularly tense period last month, when 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 Anthony Blinken to postpone a trip to China to help defuse important issues such as China’s stance on the war in Ukraine, competition in technology and the Taiwan question.

China and the US are locked in a fierce battle in semiconductor manufacturing as the Americans lose their dominance to the Asian giant. In the name of a threat to its national security, the US has multiplied sanctions against Chinese chipmakers in recent months, now barring them from sourcing US technologies.

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Visits by Western parliamentarians, particularly Americans, to Taiwan, an island whose sovereignty Beijing claims and intends to annex to mainland China, have contributed to strained relations.