Joe Biden tells UN General Assembly that US is regaining its global leadership role

Name: ‘Climate time bomb ticking’: UN chief says carbon emissions must be urgently cut
Uploaded: 2023-09-19T16:30:30.000Z
Duration: 1 min 40 s
Description: ‘Climate time bomb ticking’: UN chief says carbon emissions must be urgently cut

US president draws contrast with authoritarian regimes, including China, and lauds US-led partnerships, including the Quad

But Biden says the US doesn’t seek to decouple its economy from China’s but rather to ‘de-risk’ their relationship

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US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Mark Magnierin New York

Published: 12:30am, 20 Sep 2023Updated: 2:32pm, 20 Sep 2023

Speaking at the opening of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden laid out the vision of an America that is back, engaged and restoring its post-war leadership role, a contrast to the vision that China and other authoritarian regimes have offered as they work to chip away at what they characterise as US hegemony.

Even as Biden touted US-led global partnerships – and levelled veiled criticism at China over intellectual property theft, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the need for “high-quality” infrastructure projects – he called on the two economic giants to work together where possible.

“None of these partnerships are about containing any country. They’re about a positive vision for our shared future,” Biden said. “When it comes to China, I want to be clear and consistent. We seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries so it does not tip into conflict.”

The US does not seek to decouple the two economies but rather to “de-risk” their relationship, he said.

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‘Climate time bomb ticking’: UN chief says carbon emissions must be urgently cut

“We will push back on aggression and intimidation to defend the rules of the road, from freedom of navigation to overflight to level economic playing field, and it helps safeguard security and prosperity for decades,” Biden told the 193-member global body. “But we also stand ready to work together with China on issues where progress hinges on our common interests.”

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