Xi defends China’s ambitions at UN, warns of ‘clash of civilisations’

Xi calls for global unity to overcome crisis

By AFP - Sep 22,2020 - Last updated at Sep 22,2020

President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping (on screen) as he addresses the general debate of the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Tuesday, at the UN in New York (AFP photo)

UNITED NATIONS, United States — President Xi Jinping gave a robust defence of China's ambitions on Tuesday in a speech to the UN, warning against the perils of a "clash of civilisations" during a pandemic that has ripped through the world.

In an opening address presaged by a demand by his US counterpart Donald Trump for China to be held "accountable" for the coronavirus outbreak, Xi said global unity was the only way to overcome the crisis.

The world must "oppose politicisation and stigmatisation" over Covid-19, Xi said in the pre-recorded address, urging world leaders to embrace the "concept of a big family... and avoid falling into the trap of a clash of civilisations."

The US and China are eyeballing each other over a raft of issues: The origins of the coronavirus, trade and tech dominance, security and disputed seas.

But Xi reassured world leaders his country had no desire for "hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence".

"China has no intention to enter a Cold War with any country," he said, insisting Beijing is instead a bulwark of international systems such as the World Trade Organisation and a willing partner in the face of diplomatic spats.

"We insist on dialogue to bridge differences and negotiation to resolve disputes," he added.

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