China’s foreign minister expounded Beijing’s increasingly defiant stance on the international stage, taking several swipes at the U.S. and underscoring much of the sentiment from this week’s centennial celebrations speech by President Xi Jinping.
In a sweeping speech that touched on topics from the global pandemic to counterterrorism, North Korea to the Iran nuclear issue and Taiwan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi showcased China’s rising confidence and assertiveness in global affairs, while criticizing the U.S. and its allies for grasping to an outdated Cold War mentality.
"Today’s China is no longer the same country of 100 years ago,” Wang said in Beijing on Saturday. "No individual or force should underestimate the determination and capacity of the Chinese people to uphold the country’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”