Who will salvage China's spiralling relationship with the US?

When China’s ambassador to Washington, the bookish-looking old hand Qin Gang, was appointed to be China’s next foreign minister in December, a flurry of reporting pondered whether this was an end to Beijing’s wolf warrior diplomacy. After all, Qin wasn’t the uppity sort of Chinese spokesperson who found infamy on social media (like Zhao Lijian); westerners who’ve worked with him say that he is cordial and constructive.

Any speculation on that front can now be resolutely put to bed. In his first press conference as foreign minister this week, Qin showed plenty of steel. He accused the US of seeking to ‘contain and suppress China in all respects’, and warned ‘if the United States does not hit the brake but continues to speed down the wrong path… there will surely be conflict and confrontation’. President Xi used similar language a day earlier at the National People’s Congress. While China isn’t afraid of strongly worded attacks on the West, this week’s comments are notable for explicitly name checking the United States.