World takes note of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ‘blood and steel wall’ speech

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 2

Led by the US, the international community has taken note of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s strident message on Thursday foreign coercion, but is likely to come out with reasoned reactions later due to time difference issues.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not touch on the issue during its media briefing on Friday but said the Government did not send any greeting on the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China because the event was not a government matter.  

Asked whether US Secretary of State Tony Blinken had paid attention to President Xi Jinping’s address which used aggressive language towards the West like “heads bashed against the bloody great wall of steel’’, State Department spokesperson Ned Price admitted that the US has taken note of the remarks. “But we’re not going to comment on the specifics,’’ he said.

The Biden administration, in the months it has been at the helm, “has been very clear about our impressions of the CCP in general, but I don’t have a specific response for you on President Xi’s remarks today,’’ he added.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted by stating that Xi was serious about ‘bashing heads bloody’ and called on Biden to strengthen policies.

Addressing over seven lakh people on Thursday at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mark the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th birthday, Xi made several exhortations calls to rouse patriotic passions but the line about foreign forces trying to bully China crashing into “a great wall of steel’’ was the biggest takeaway for international observers.

The debate in the global community was over the translation of the message that was delivered in unmistakably militaristic tones using a very strong choice of words.

Taiwan, which was at the receiving end of one of the remarks, chose to react instantaneously by pointing out that its core principles were “democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law’’ which is a “major institutional difference from the other side of the strait.’’

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the sole US Cabinet Minister to respond but she focused on the business and trade aspects. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure that our US companies are treated fairly and are able to have access to the Chinese market,” she said.