Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Thursday that his country and the United States need to find ways of understanding to protect global peace and development. The statement was published by CCTV, the largest television network in the Asian nation and subordinated to the communist dictatorship.
“As great powers, strengthening communication and cooperation between China and the United States will help enhance global stability and security, and promote world peace and development,” he said.
The statement, despite not innovating the moderate rhetoric of Chinese foreign policy, acts as a breath of balance between the two countries, mainly because it was made days after the end of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which ratified an expected third term. from Xi.
In recent months, Beijing and Washington have led to increased tensions over Taiwan, an independent island backed by the US but recognized by the global community as belonging to China.
In another vein, the Americans accuse the Chinese of leading repressions against the population of Hong Kong and of downgrading the territory’s position as the number one financial hub in Asia – in recent years, Beijing has rounded up pro-democracy activists and put an ally in power. region. Recently, by the way, Xi stressed that China has already achieved “total control” over the former British colony, “turning chaos into governance”.
Also weighing on the relationship between the two countries are Chinese policies with the Uighur Muslim minority and Beijing’s position in the Ukrainian War. In the latter case, China has refused to challenge Vladimir Putin’s actions at the UN and to apply sanctions against Russia, although it has not officially adopted a pro-Moscow stance in the conflict either.
Still in the publication on Thursday, Xi said that “today’s world is neither peaceful nor tranquil” and that China is “willing to work with the United States on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence to find ways of understanding in the new era”.
The new era cited by the Chinese leader is precisely what bothers the US and its Western allies. Earlier this month, the White House said Beijing was Washington’s only rival “with the intention of changing the international order and, increasingly, economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to achieve this goal.” In theory, the objective of the communist dictatorship would be to create a new world order, reducing the geopolitical influence of the Americans.
Even so, the US recently announced more sweeping limits on the sale of semiconductor technology to China, a move intended to undermine Beijing’s ability to access critical technologies that are needed for everything from supercomputing to weapons guidance.
In the opposite direction, however, the American president, Joe Biden, followed Xi’s moderate line and said, on Wednesday (26), that his country “does not seek conflicts with China”. The sober words could pave the way for a possible bilateral meeting between the two leaders in November, when they are due to attend a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia – so far, no information has been officially released about the meeting.
It remains to be seen, whether the balance proposed by Beijing and Washington can be seen as words in the wind or, in fact, is the prelude to an agreement for the cooling of global tensions.
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