Chinese President Xi Jinping told the United Nations General Assembly yesterday that Beijing has "no intention to fight either a Cold War or a hot one with any country", as tensions grow between China and the US.
"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 a zero-sum game," he said in a pre-recorded video statement to the annual gathering of world leaders, conducted virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There has been talk in recent months concerning the possibility of Beijing getting dragged into an armed conflict with Washington. The South China Sea territorial disputes are seen as the likeliest trigger for any scuffle.
Long-simmering tensions between the United States and China also hit boiling point over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, spotlighting Beijing's bid for greater multilateral influence in a challenge to Washington's traditional leadership.
The coronavirus was first detected in China late the previous year and Washington accuses Beijing of a lack of transparency that it says worsened the outbreak.
In what appeared to be a rebuke to US President Donald Trump, though both leaders' speeches were pre-recorded, Mr Xi called for a global reaction to the virus and giving the World Health Organization (WHO) a leading role. "Facing the virus, we should enhance solidarity and get through this together. We should follow the guidance of science, give full play to the leading role of the World Health Organization," Mr Xi said. "Any attempt of politicising the issue or stigmatisation must be rejected."
He also warned against the perils of a "clash of civilisations" during the pandemic.
In an earlier speech on Monday at a meeting to mark the world body's 75th anniversary, Mr Xi took a veiled swipe at the US in a strongly worded address, saying no country should "be allowed to do whatever it likes and be the hegemon, bully or boss of the world".
Pushing for developing countries to have a greater role in world affairs, Mr Xi said the UN could be "more balanced" and urged "international order underpinned by international law", the official Xinhua news agency reported.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG