On Sunday morning, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang sat down for an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation anchor Margaret Brennan and it did not go well for him. Brennan grilled Gang on everything from China’s appeasement of Russia’s invasion of China to their alleged imprisonment of over a million Uighurs.
Brennan asked Gang about China supporting Russia in the wake of “four days” of an International Court of Justice order that Russia cease all military action. China didn’t respond to that. The vote result was 13-2.
China is the only country to have stood in Russia’s way. He said that it sounded like he was condoning rather than condemning.
Gang defended his country claiming that they make an observation “based on the merits of the matter itself” and then claimed, “China upholds the U.N. purposes and the principles, including the respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine.”
Brennan then asked Gang if he was concerned that Russia had placed more than 150,000 soldiers on the Chinese frontier. Gang’s only response was to basically excuse Russia’s actions by saying “that’s why we want good, friendly, neighborly relations with Russia.”
Brennan shot back sarcastically asking “you would recognize that’s not good friendly, neighborly relationship, putting 150,000 troops on the border of a neighboring country and then to send those troops into that country?” She then asked him “why can’t you condemn this as an invasion?”
Condemnation does not solve any problem, he claimed. He said that it would surprise him if Russia backs down after China had condemned them.
After Brennan claimed Gang needed good diplomacy, things got very heated.
Volodymyr Zilenskyy claims he’d like to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zilenskyy has been locked in a bunker. Vladimir Putin is currently at a political pro war rally. Diplomacy is impossible when there’s only one country that will negotiate.
Gang was clearly caught off guard by the last question Brennan requested. She prefaced by noting how he “talked about how important the UN is” so she brought up how a “UN Human rights panel said there are credible reports that a million Uighurs are in a massive internment camp shrouded in secrecy.”
Then she asked Gang if China would allow human rights officers unlimited access to internment camps. Gang retorted, “I completely reject that.” When further pressed, he claimed, “there is no such so-called human rights violation.”
Click “expand to view the transcript”
CBS’sFace the Nation
3/20/2022
Eastern 10:49.24MARGARET BRENNAN China abstained. The vote result was 13-2. China was the only other country to vote next to Russia. This sounds more like condoning than condemning.
QIN GANG (CHINA’S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.): China makes its observation and conclusion based independently, based on the merits of the matter itself. One.
BRENNAN: Russia invaded, according to the Secretary General of United Nations.
GANG. We support on the one-hand China’s UN purposes and principles. This includes the respect of national sovereignty and territorial integrity for all countries including Ukraine.
(…)
BRENNAN: Would you be concerned if Russia amassed more than 150,000 troops at China’s border?
[crosstalk]
GANG: That’s why we want…
BRENNAN
GANG: Great, friendly and close relations with Russia.
BRENNAN: But you would recognize that’s not good friendly, neighborly relationship, putting 150,000 troops on the border of a neighboring country and then to send those troops into that country. Why can’t this be called an invasion under these circumstances?
GANG: Let’s, don’t be naive. Condemnation.
BRENNAN
[crosstalk]
GANG: This doesn’t solve any problem. It will surprise me if Russia backs down with condemnation.
BRENNAN – Will your president demand that Vladimir Putin back down? Is your president going to ask Vladimir Putin not to go? You are their only hope.
GANG: They have already done this, and continue to encourage peace negotiations and call for immediate fire. It doesn’t work to condemn. It is necessary to have reason. Wisdom is essential. You need to have courage. Good diplomacy is also important.
BRENNAN Volodymyr Zilenskyy has been locked in a bunker. Vladimir Putin is currently at a pro war rally. Diplomacy is impossible when there’s only one country that will negotiate.
(…)
BRENNAN : Before we run out time, I’d like to speak to you briefly. You discussed the UN’s importance and how you respect it. UN Human rights panels stated there were credible reports that over a million Uighurs have been held in a camp in the mountains of China. China will be visited soon by the High Commissioner of Refugees and Human Rights. Do you grant them unrestricted access?
GANG: This is something I completely reject.
BRENNAN: Yes you will give access or no you won’t give access?
[crosstalk]
GANG: It is impossible to prove that there are any human rights violations.
[crosstalk]
BRENNAN
GANG
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