Xi Jinping portrays China as global leader as Donald Trump prepares to take office
Chinese president tells UN in Geneva that his nation wants to lead efforts to shape relations between world’s major powers
China wants to lead efforts to build a “stable and balanced” framework for relations among the world’s major powers, President Xi Jinping said at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva.
His speech marked the end of a four-day diplomatic tour that included an address against trade protectionism at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, and a state visit to Switzerland.
The trip came right before US president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office and was viewed by analysts as an attempt to position China as a global leader amid suggestions the new administration in the White House might lesson the US role on the world stage.
Xi said during his speech on Wednesday that China was actively pursuing “a new model of major country relations” with the US as a way of avoiding conflicts between the two powers, while deepening relations with Europe as well as Russia and the other nations in the so-called BRICS bloc – Brazil, India and South Africa.
“We need to push for the democratisation of international relations … The responsibility for global governance should be shared by different countries,” Xi said.“Big countries should treat small countries as equals and refrain from seeking hegemony. No country should start a war casually or break international law,” he said.
China’s pursuit of a new model for ties with the US was often met with scepticism under Barack Obama’s administration.