Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3193344/biden-un-urges-russia-accountability-over-ukraine-and-slams
China/ Diplomacy

Biden at UN urges Russia accountability over Ukraine and slams China as he extols democracy

  • Vowing to work with allies and partners, US leader depicts policies from Moscow and Beijing as running counter to constructive ‘vision for our world’
  • While Russia bears brunt of US criticism, China’s handling of Xinjiang and climate change among challenges identified for UN to help tackle
President Joe Biden of the US delivers his address during the 77th General Debate inside the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday. Photo: AP

US President Joe Biden used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to excoriate Russia for its war against Ukraine and portray China as working against UN principles, underscoring his resolve in a global “contest between democracy and autocracy”.

“The United States and I, as president, champion a vision for our world that is grounded in the values of democracy,” Biden said in his 30-minute address.

“The United States is determined to defend and strengthen democracy at home and around the world because I believe democracy remains humanity’s greatest instrument to address the challenges of our time.”

Biden struck a bullish and confident tone similar to his UN address last year, when he sought to depict the US as a global torch-bearer in a struggle against authoritarianism.

Since taking office, his administration has promoted cooperation through alliances and forums such as Nato, the Group of 7, and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue as part of this challenge.

The second day of leaders’ addresses came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilisation” of troops and hinted at the use of nuclear weapons in an acknowledgement that his war against Ukraine was not going to plan. Biden spent much of his speech rallying support for Russia’s beleaguered neighbour.

“The United States is … working closely with our allies and partners to impose costs on Russia to deter attacks against Nato territory, to hold Russia accountable for the atrocities and war crimes because if nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequences, then we put at risk everything this very institution stands for,” he said.

China also figured prominently in Biden’s speech. The American leader wove together indictments of Beijing’s policies in the country’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, its overseas infrastructure financing, and its nuclear weapons build-up, mingled with assurances that Washington “does not seek conflict” with Beijing.

The Russian delegation, top centre, watches as Biden delivers his remarks at the UN General Assembly. Photo: AP
The Russian delegation, top centre, watches as Biden delivers his remarks at the UN General Assembly. Photo: AP

On Xinjiang, Biden referenced an explosive report published weeks ago by the UN human rights office that found China may have committed “crimes against humanity” in the region.

His accusation that China’s infrastructure projects generate “large debts without delivering on the promise advantages” came a day after a lengthy speech on the subject by a senior US Treasury Department official.

However, Biden offered less confrontational messaging with respect to Taiwan, following his assertion in an interview aired on Sunday that American troops would defend the self-ruled island if Beijing were to attack it.

“We seek to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, remain committed to our one-China policy, which has helped prevent conflict for four decades, and we continue to oppose unilateral changes in the status quo by either side,” he said without mentioning the Taiwan Relations Act, which authorises the US to support the island’s defence capability.

Biden gave considerable attention to emphasising the importance of allies and partners in tackling climate change and crises in energy, food and economics.

He announced US$2.9 billion in new funding for humanitarian and food security assistance, some of which was intended to alleviate “a dire humanitarian emergency” in the Horn of Africa owing to a multi-year drought.

In an apparent knock against China for announcing it cut off climate negotiations with Washington in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month, Biden accused Beijing of “walking away” from the problem.

“The United States will work with every nation, including our competitors, to solve global problems like climate change,” he said. “Climate diplomacy is not a favour to the United States or any other nation, and walking away hurts the entire world.”

Like many other leaders addressing the UN this week, Biden spoke at length on the subject, noting “much of Pakistan is still under water” and “the Horn of Africa faces unprecedented drought”.

“We all know we’re already living in a climate crisis. No one seems to doubt it after this past year,” he said. “Families are facing impossible choices, choosing which child to feed, wondering whether they’ll survive. This is the human cost of climate change, and it’s growing.”

To date, more than 1,500 people have died from Pakistan’s unprecedented floods. Over 30 million people have been affected by one of the country’s worst monsoons since its founding in 1947.

Describing security and prosperity as interdependent and vital for the world, Biden called for the UN Security Council’s expansion to include permanent seats for countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Britain, China, France, Russia and the US have been the only permanent members since the council was established in 1945.

Biden’s candid references to competition between the US and China revealed that his stance had “hardened” towards the geopolitical rival, according to Richard Gowan, UN director of International Crisis Group, a Belgium-based think tank.

“I was struck that Biden, who did not mention China at all by name last year, flagged concerns over [its] nuclear programme and the Uygurs,” said Gowan, alluding to Xinjiang’s largest ethnic group. Critics say that Uygurs have been forcibly detained en masse.

Beijing would also likely be displeased that Biden “raised Taiwan at all at the UN, as it sees it as an internal matter”, Gowan added.

But Nathaniel Sher, senior research analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted Biden made clear on Wednesday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine posed “the most serious challenge to the principles of the UN charter” – in contrast to May when Secretary of State Antony Blinken singled out China as undermining global order.

“This change of emphasis should be received well in Beijing,” said Sher, adding that Biden reiterated assurances made during last year’s UN speech that “the US does not seek conflict or a cold war with China”.