China’s top diplomat has launched a direct rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, slamming Washington’s approach as a failure that neither tamed Beijing nor made America great again.
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Asked about Trump’s trade war on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi fired off a barrage of rhetorical questions to challenge the White House, suggesting that its actions had proved futile while urging the US to “look for the reason within itself”.
Wang also warned that Beijing would not yield to the second Trump administration’s pressure, casting today’s America as an irresponsible big power.
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China’s top diplomat Wang Yi lays out directions for country’s foreign policies
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi lays out directions for country’s foreign policies
“The United States should go over what has actually happened. What has it achieved from tariff and trade wars over the years?” he said at a press conference during the ongoing “two sessions”, China’s annual parliamentary gathering.
“Has its trade deficit widened or narrowed? Has its manufacturing become more competitive or less competitive? Has US inflation gone up or down? Has the life of its people got better or worse?”
“China will definitely take countermeasures in response to arbitrary pressure,” he said.
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Although only a few American news outlets, including CNN and Bloomberg, had a chance to ask Wang questions, nine of the 23 queries to Wang in the high-profile event related directly to the US.
The Chinese diplomat took every chance to jab at Washington, both overtly and subtly, when addressing a broad range of issues – from the world order and global governance to tech rivalry and economic growth.