The Chinese president also addressed the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic
United Nations:
China will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday, saying that Beijing has no intention of waging a “Cold War” or a “hot war” with any country.
Xi also said China will continue to narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through negotiations, in remarks that came in the context of the tense military clash between the Chinese and Indian armies in eastern Ladakh for more than four months.
Addressing the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he said: “We will continue to reduce differences and resolve disputes with others through dialogue and negotiation.”
“We will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence. We have no intention of waging a Cold War or a hot war with any country,” Xi said in a pre-recorded video message to the UN meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a surprise visit to Ladakh on July 4, had said that the era of expansionism was over and that history is proof that the “expansionists” have lost or perished, in comments that were seen as a clear message to China. .
Xi, also general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China and commander-in-chief of the Chinese army, said his country will not pursue development behind closed doors.
“Rather, our aim is to foster, over time, a new development paradigm with national circulation as the mainstay and national and international circulations reinforcing each other. This will create more space for China’s economic development and give impetus to global economic recovery and growth, “he added. he said.
The Chinese president also addressed the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic and international criticism of China’s attempts to suppress details about the outbreak.
“Facing the virus, we must strengthen solidarity and achieve it together. We must follow the guidance of science, fully play the leadership role of the World Health Organization and launch a joint international response to defeat this pandemic. Any attempt to politicize the issue or stigmatizing must be rejected, “Xi said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump criticized China Tuesday for “unleashing” the plague of the “China virus” on the world, demanding that the United Nations hold Beijing accountable for failing to contain the coronavirus that has killed nearly a million people across the country. world, including 200,000 Americans.
Trump demanded that China, where the coronavirus emerged, take responsibility for failing to control the virus and allowing it to spread around the world.
“As we pursue this bright future, we must hold the nation that unleashed this plague on the world – China,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has so far infected more than 30 million people and more than 958,000 have died. The United States, with 6.7 million infections, crossed the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths.
“The Chinese government and the World Health Organization, which is virtually controlled by China, falsely stated that there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission,” Trump said.
“Later, they falsely said that people without symptoms would not spread the disease. The United Nations should hold China accountable for its actions,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year and accused Beijing of suppressing details of the contagion.
Relations between the United States and China have collapsed during Trump’s tenure, with a trade war, tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and angry denunciations from both Washington and Beijing.
In his speech, Xi also emphasized that no country can benefit from the difficulties of others or maintain stability by taking advantage of the problems of others.
“Following a beggar-thy-neighbor policy or simply observing from a safe distance when others are in danger will eventually lead to the same problem that others face,” he said.
“We must reject attempts to build blocks to keep others out and oppose a zero-sum approach. We must see ourselves as members of the same great family, pursue mutually beneficial cooperation, overcome ideological disputes, and not fall into the trap of “clash of civilizations,” he said.
More importantly, he said that a country’s “independent choice of development path and model” must be respected.
The world is diverse in nature and we must turn this diversity into a constant source of inspiration that fuels human advancement. This will ensure that human civilizations remain colorful and diversified, Xi said, amid Western pressure on the ruling Communist Party to change.
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