Xi Jinping urges world leaders to put aside divisions in virtual Davos speech
- Chinese president’s video address to World Economic Forum says history shows that antagonism and confrontation will hurt everybody
- Xi’s speech comes as the Biden administration is discussing its China strategy with US allies
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged world leaders to put aside ideological confrontations in a speech to the World Economic Forum.
In the address, issued via video link, he warned that attempts to “isolate, intimidate, decouple and sanction” others will “only push the world into division, even confrontation”.
He added: “History and reality have made it clear, time and again, that the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of a cold war, hot war, trade war or tech war, will eventually hurt all countries’ interests and undermine everyone’s well-being.”
During the 20-minute speech, the Chinese president also described different political systems as a type of diversity that human civilisation cannot live without.
The speech was made as the new Biden administration is busy repairing ties with US allies after Donald Trump’s presidency. China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Beijing would like to work with the new US administration to get bilateral relations “back on the normal track”.
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Xi Jinping warns against ‘new Cold War’ and ‘confrontation’
Since his election victory, Biden has spoken with key allies including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Almost all the conversations have touched on their coordinated strategies towards China or the Indo-Pacific region.