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Tuesday 22 September 2020
It’s actually a festive occasion: various heads of state deliver speeches to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. US President Trump chooses the environment to criticize China and the World Health Organization. He makes serious accusations against them in view of the corona pandemic.
In his speech in the general debate in the UN General Assembly, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, harshly attacked China and the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the crown crisis. The United Nations would have to “hold China accountable” for the pandemic, Trump said in a video recorded at the White House.
At the beginning of the pandemic, China allowed its citizens to travel abroad “and infect the world.” Furthermore, Beijing and the WHO had incorrectly reported on the nature of the spread of the corona virus. “The Chinese government and the World Health Organization, which is practically controlled by China, have falsely stated that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission,” the US president said. “They later wrongly said that people without symptoms would not spread the disease.”
Trump went on to say: “75 years after the end of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, we are again engaged in a great global struggle. We have fought a fierce battle against the invisible enemy, the China virus, in 188 countries. it has taken countless lives. ” In the United States, the pandemic sparked the largest mobilization since World War II.
More than 6.8 million confirmed infections in the US
“We will distribute a vaccine, defeat the virus, end the pandemic, and enter a new era of unprecedented prosperity, cooperation and peace,” Trump announced. Since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the “New York Times”, almost 200,000 people have died in the United States after being infected with the pathogen Sars-CoV-2. Additionally, there were more than 6.8 million confirmed infections in the United States.
Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated enormously in recent months, also due to the corona pandemic. The conflict now affects almost every aspect of the relationship between the two great powers. After the punitive tariffs, Washington has begun imposing tough political sanctions. Recently, the dispute over the popular Chinese app Tiktok caused a stir.
At the beginning of the general debate, the head of the UN, António Guterres, had warned about a “cold war” between the United States and China. “We are moving in a very dangerous direction. Our world cannot afford a future in which the two largest economies divide the earth,” Guterres said. This would create a technological and economic divide that could expand into a military one. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke at the post-Trump general debate. However, because his speech was also recorded, direct reference was not possible.
“The United States fulfills its destiny as a peacemaker”
In his brief remarks, Trump also underscored his administration’s peace efforts. “The United States is fulfilling its destiny as a peacemaker, but it is peace through force.” He highlighted the breakthrough in the agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Israel and the two Arab states agreed to normalize their relations through Trump’s mediation.
A “peace agreement between Serbia and Kosovo” was also reached. In fact, Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to normalize their economic relations through the mediation of the White House, but not a peace agreement. According to Trump, the United States is militarily “stronger than ever, our weapons are at an advanced level that we have never had before.” Trump added: “I just pray to God that we never have to use them.”
In the context of the pandemic, the 75th general debate of the UN General Assembly will take place practically this year. Representatives from the 193 member states, including more than 150 heads of state and government, do not speak at the UN headquarters in New York, as they normally do, but through pre-recorded speeches on video. In the assembly hall, each country is represented by a single local diplomat. Germany will probably not be represented by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas until the last day of the general debate, on September 29.
