China and US headed towards conflict, China’s foreign minister says | First Thing

Qin Gang rebuked Washington over its Taiwan policy and the balloon incident, while praising Beijing's relationship with Russia. Plus, the secret history of Merle Oberon

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Good morning.

The US and China are heading towards inevitable conflict if Washington does not change its approach, China's new foreign minister has said in a fiery press conference in which he defended his country's strengthening relationship with Russia.

What did Qin say about Russia? With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force," he said. The more unstable the world becomes the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations."

Why does Qin think relations with the US have deteriorated? Qin blamed the US for the worsening relations, specifically citing the balloon incident, as well as tensions over Taiwan and the Ukraine war. He said the conflict in Ukraine seems to have been driven by an invisible hand ... using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas", pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict.

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