Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asserted that China will “play along to the end” if the United States continues its efforts to suppress the country, despite Beijing’s preference to avoid conflict with Washington.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Wang emphasized that China would respond firmly to unilateral “bullying” tactics but expressed hope that both nations could work towards common ground.
Escalating Trade and Tech Tensions
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, despite having previously described a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “good.” In response, China introduced retaliatory tariffs of up to 15% on certain U.S. imports, reigniting fears of a prolonged trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Adding to the friction, the Biden administration, in its final weeks, tightened export controls on advanced technologies that could aid China’s military, aiming to limit Beijing’s technological advancements. China criticized these curbs as part of a long-standing strategy to hinder its progress.
China’s Resilience Amid Challenges
Wang stated that China has thrived by overcoming obstacles and will not be intimidated by external pressures. Addressing the conference, which included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Wang cited a passage from the Chinese classic Book of Changes (I Ching), highlighting the importance of perseverance:
“The movement of Heaven is full of vigor. Thus the gentleman makes himself strong and untiring.”
He then humorously remarked that the phrase might be difficult to translate, suggesting the use of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI application that has emerged despite U.S. chip restrictions. The AI tool, he noted, is increasingly seen as a potential challenger to dominant U.S. generative AI models like ChatGPT.
