Politics

Biden to UN: US is not seeking a new Cold War with China

United Nations, Sep 21 (EFE).- US President Joe Biden on Tuesday in his first address before the United Nations General Assembly defended Washington’s “vigorous competition” with the world’s “great powers,” evidently directing his remarks at Beijing, but he added that he is not trying to embark on a “new Cold War” with the Asian giant.

“We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs,” the president said, although he did not specifically mention China.

“All the major powers of the world have a duty, in my view, to carefully manage their relationships so they do not tip from responsible competition into conflict,” he added.

The US president’s speech focused on defending democracy and multilateralism, and also on the argument that US military power should be “the last resort” and should not be used to “solve every problem.”

“We stand, in my view, at an inflection point in history. Instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes and devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future,” Biden said, referring to the recent withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan.

He also said that Washington is shifting its efforts from “relentless war” to “relentless diplomacy,” adding that the world is beginning a “decisive decade” and that the future of the planet will depend on the ability of nations to act in a “united” manner and recognize their common humanity.

“Our security, our prosperity and our very freedoms are interconnected as never before. And so, I believe, we must work together as never before,” he said.

Biden did not mention his defense agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom, the crux of which is to help Canberra build nuclear-powered submrines and which has sparked a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Paris, given that as a result of the pact France has lost a lucrative contract to sell diesel-powered subs to the Australians.

Nevertheless, Biden promised that when the US acts in the Indo-Pacific region, it will do so with its “allies and partners” via cooperation and multilateral institutions like the UN to amplify the force and increase the speed of its response.

He also mentioned the climate crisis, calling is a “Code Red for humanity” and asking all countries to put their best proposals on the table for dealing with it at the UN Climate Summit later this year in Glasgow, Scotland, and he emphasized the need for greater international coordination to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

The US president said that bombs and bullets cannot defend mankind against Covid-19, emphasizing that to fight the pandemic “collective” action emphasizing a scientific approach and political will is needed.

Biden delivered his address on the first day of the annual UN General Assembly meeting, for which about 100 world leaders and many other government representatives gathered at the international body’s headquarters in New York City despite the coronavirus pandemic to discuss an agenda marked by Covid-19, climate change and the situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal from the Central Asian nation.

EFE

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