Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged the international community to put aside their differences, warning that history has shown that countries that choose to go it alone “will always fail.”
Speaking by video conference as he addressed the World Economic Forum, Xi discussed global challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic and the climate emergency.
“As we face the current crisis and strive to achieve a better day for all, we need to stay together and work together,” he said.
“We have shown time and time again that begging your neighbor, going alone and falling into arrogant isolation will always fail. Let’s join hands and let multilateralism light our way to a community with a future shared for humanity “. Xi added, according to translated statements.
Comments come less than a week after President Joe Biden took office, with outside viewers watching closely as a change in U.S. leadership could affect tensions in diplomatic relations.
Biden is expected to keep up pressure on Beijing on a wide range of issues, including human rights, trade policy, territorial disputes and questions about China’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The confrontation will take us to a dead end”
Speaking at the forum for the first time since 2017, Xi again promoted a multilateral approach to international affairs.
“Building small circles or starting a new cold war, rejecting, threatening or intimidating others, intentionally imposing decoupling, disruption of supply or sanctions, and creating isolation or alienation will only push the world into division and even confrontation. Xi said. , without appointing another nation or head of state.
“We cannot face common challenges in a divided world and confrontation will lead us to a dead end.”
The China-US relationship has deteriorated significantly in recent years. Former U.S. President Donald Trump tried to take an “America First” approach to foreign policy and often clashed with an increasingly vindictive China.
President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the White House state dining hall on January 21, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
Biden has already tried to undo some of his predecessor’s policies, signing an executive order on the first day of his term to rejoin the Paris climate deal and reverse the planned exit from the World Health Organization.
Taiwan
According to reports, analysts were designed to test Biden’s level of support in Taiwan. According to reports, Chinese Air Force planes entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone for the second day in a row over the weekend.
China sees the democratic and self-governing island of Taiwan as its territory and insists it has no right to participate alone in international diplomacy. Taiwan is seen as a sovereign state.
In the first statement on Taiwan since Biden came to power last week, the U.S. State Department reaffirmed on Saturday its “solid” commitment to help it defend itself.
The World Economic Forum, which has been criticized in the past for being out of touch with reality, is being held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. A physical congregation of business leaders, political thinkers and world heads of state is expected to take place in Singapore in May.