Chinese foreign minister warns U.S. to 'step on the brakes' or risk 'conflict' with China

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday warned the United States to "step on the breaks" or "fall into conflict and confrontation" with China.

At a news conference, Qin said, as translated, that the U.S. policy of "no conflict" is actually an attempt to force China to "not fight back when hit or scolded," which Beijing firmly opposes. 

"If the U.S. does not step on the brakes and continues to go down the wrong road, no amount of guardrails will be able to stop the derailment and rollover, and it will inevitably fall into conflict and confrontation," he said.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have risen recently, with relations deteriorating particularly sharply after U.S. forces shot down a Chinese spy balloon last month.