Chinese Communist Party Foreign Minister Wang Yi challenges US at press conference
On March 7, 2024, Chinese Communist Party Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a press conference at the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing. During the conference, Wang Yi posed four questions directed at the United States, blaming the ongoing conflicts between the two nations on the US.
Wang Yi’s questions were met with a swift response from former US State Department chief China adviser Yu Maochun, who took to the X platform on March 9 to refute Wang Yi’s claims point by point. Yu Maochun argued that the Chinese Communist Party’s approach to international relations is based on self-admiration and wishful thinking, leading to a loss of credibility and isolation on the world stage.
One of Wang Yi’s questions was about the United States‘ nervousness and anxiety at the mention of China, to which Yu Maochun countered that it is the Chinese Communist Party, not the Chinese people, that is viewed as a threat to freedom. He highlighted the Party’s authoritarian practices as the source of global apprehension.
Further, Wang Yi questioned the US’s commitment to international justice and fair competition, implying that the US was hindering other countries’ development. Yu Maochun argued that it is the CCP’s unfair practices and anti-market policies that disrupt the global free trade system, prompting vigilance from the US and other market economies.
Interestingly, the press conference was mainly attended by reporters from the Chinese Communist Party’s official media, with little Western media presence. According to Ding Shufan, an honorary professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, the conference felt more like a scripted performance, with the majority of reporters hailing from third world countries.
The exchange between Wang Yi and Yu Maochun underscores the deepening rift between China and the US, as both nations continue to clash over issues of trade, human rights, and global influence. The future of Sino-US relations remains uncertain, as both sides dig in their heels in defense of their respective positions.
Editor: Xiao Lusheng