Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang slams U.S.' Indo-Pacific strategy as 'Asian NATO', says bound to fail

“The U.S. claims to shape the strategic environment China operates actually reveals the purpose of its Indo-Pacific strategy that is to encircle China”, says Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on March 7, 2023 attacked the U.S.’ Indo-Pacific strategy, saying that it aims to “encircle” China with a regional version of NATO by forming “exclusive blocs” and is bound to fail.

Since its formation, China has been criticising the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy as well as the Quad grouping consisting of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia besides AUKU.S. comprising of Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. alliance, saying that they were aimed at containing its rise.

“The U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy while purportedly upholding freedom and openness to maintain security and prosperity in the region is an attempt to gang up to form exclusive blocs to provoke a confrontation by plotting an Asia Pacific version of NATO and to undermine regional integration through decoupling and supply chains”, Mr. Qin said.

NATO is a leading intergovernmental military grouping of 30 member nations that was established in the aftermath of World War II. The grouping functions under the framework of collective security. The headquarters of NATO is in Brussels.

“No Cold War should be reignited and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia,” he said addressing his first annual press conference on the sidelines of China’s Parliament.

“The U.S. claims to shape the strategic environment China operates actually reveals the purpose of its Indo-Pacific strategy that is to encircle China,” he said.

“Such an attempt will only disrupt the ASEAN-centred open inclusive regional cooperation architecture and undermine the overall and long-term interests of the regional countries. It is bound to fail,” Mr. Qin, who in last December succeeded Wang Yi, said in answering a question on the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.