Chinese Premier Li Qiang opposes a new Cold War in a warning to the US.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday opposed the confrontation of blocks and a new “Cold War”, in a veiled warning to the United States, which has been locked in an increasingly intense competition with China according to Kyodo News.

In a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia, Li said China “will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order,” amid growing fears over its buildup of weapons. and increased military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own.

His statements at the event held on the island of Hainan, in southern China, considered the Asian alternative to the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), occurred while the United States was organizing a virtual summit on democracy, in the midst of a rivalry between Washington and what it describes as autocracies, such as China and Russia.

The prime minister also said China is against “trade protectionism and decoupling” and called for efforts to ensure the stability of the global industrial supply chain as Washington tries to tighten restrictions on the Asian nation’s access to cutting-edge technologies such as the semiconductors.

Amid uncertainties about the world economy due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and heightened financial risks following the recent bankruptcies of US banks, Li sounded confident about the prospects for the world’s second-largest economy, citing strong momentum from his growth.

“Judging by the situation in March, it is better than in January and February. In particular, the main economic indicators such as consumption and investment continue to improve, while employment and prices remain broadly stable,” he said. Li.

The prime minister also stated that China is against “trade protectionism and decoupling”.

The Chinese economy, hit last year by the economic fallout from its strict “zero-COVID” policy, which involves quarantines and lockdowns, has been gradually recovering.

Chinese foreign minister meets with his Malaysian counterpart

The prime minister, who took office earlier this month, vowed that Beijing “will always adhere to reform and opening up” so that it can “inject new impetus and vitality” into the world economy and allow other countries to share in the opportunities of the Chinese development.

Some 2,000 participants from some 50 countries and regions have attended the four-day annual conference through Friday, the first fully face-to-face meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Prime Ministers of Singapore, Malaysia and Spain, as well as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, are among the participants in the forum, which was first held in 2002.