United Nations
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday that Beijing has “no intention to fight either a Cold War or a hot one with any country,” as tensions grew between China and the United States.
“We will continue to narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through dialogue and negotiation. We will not seek to develop only ourselves or engage in zero sum game,” Xi said in a pre-recorded video statement to the annual gathering of world leaders, conducted virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Long-simmering tensions between the United States and China hit boiling point over the pandemic, spotlighting Beijing’s bid for greater multilateral influence in a challenge to Washington’s traditional leadership.
The coronavirus emerged in China late last year and Washington accuses Beijing of a lack of transparency that it says worsened the outbreak. China denies the US assertions.
In what appeared to be a rebuke to US President Donald Trump, though both leaders’ speeches were pre-recorded, Xi called for a global response to the virus and giving the World Health Organisation a leading role.
Trump has announced plans for the United States to leave the Geneva-based WHO, accusing the agency of being a puppet of China, a claim the WHO denied.
“Facing the virus, we should enhance solidarity and get through this together.
