Chinese President Xi Jinping issues rare rebuke of US for 'suppression against us'

Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued a rare public rebuke of the United States for embarking on a crusade to thwart China's rise.

Although he has taken veiled digs at the U.S. in the past, Xi has generally refrained from calling out the U.S. by name, but as tensions with Washington, D.C., escalate, he opted to ratchet up his rhetoric as the National People’s Congress gathered, according to state media.

“Western countries — led by the U.S. — have implemented all-round containment, encirclement, and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development,” Xi said, per state media.

U.S. President Joe Biden, right, stands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia. Biden says Chinese counterpart Xi has agreed to resume crucial talks on climate between the two countries. The Chinese and U.S. leaders met Monday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

His remarks about containment hearken back to the Cold War era in which the U.S. sought to stymie the Soviet Union and undercut its influence abroad under the domino theory. Xi has bristled at alleged Western containment of China in the past.