China’s leader Xi Jinping warned on Monday of “catastrophic consequences” of possible clashes between major powers.
His speech was broadcast by video during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Considered one of the most important global meetings of political, business and civil society leaders, the event was postponed due to the worsening of the coronavirus pandemic.
A face-to-face version is planned for the next semester, but for this week, some virtual conferences, such as Xi Jinping’s, were kept.
“History has repeatedly shown that confrontation does not solve problems, it only causes catastrophic consequences,” Xi said, according to the official translation of his speech.
The Chinese leader also positioned himself as an advocate of multilateralism and reinforced his perception of rising global tensions. “We need to discard the Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes,” he said, describing this as the fourth item on a list of priorities that includes international cooperation to tackle the pandemic, post-Covid economic recovery and revitalization of the world. global development.
“Our world today is far from peaceful. The rhetoric that stirs up hatred and prejudice abounds,” Xi added. According to him, “acts of containment, repression or confrontation”, as well as protectionism, unilateralism and the policy of hegemony are the causes of all kinds of damage to world peace and security.
“Stubborn acts of building ‘exclusive high-walled backyards’ or ‘parallel systems’, of enthusiastically assembling small circles or exclusive blocks that polarize the world, of stretching the concept of national security to contain economic and technological advances from other countries, of fostering ideological antagonism and politicizing or using economic, scientific and technological issues as weapons will severely curtail international efforts to address common challenges,” Xi accused, without mentioning any country or leadership specifically.
The Chinese leader’s speech maintains the same line of reasoning as his speeches at other conferences, such as the UN General Assembly. It still echoes the tough speech he made in 2017, during his first appearance at Davos.
Five years ago, Xi attacked several points of international policy defended by Donald Trump – at the time, three days away from taking over the White House. On that occasion, Xi snarled at the US without, however, mentioning the country or its future president once. He also did not address geopolitical issues that oppose Washington and Beijing, seeking to present China as a good partner in a turbulent world.
This year’s speech was not much different. Just as there were no mentions of any country in particular, any references to actions on tensions in the South China Sea and sensitive issues for Beijing such as the political situation in Hong Kong and Taiwan and allegations of human rights violations were left out. in Xinjiang.
To address the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, Xi used a navigation metaphor to advocate for international cooperation. According to him, in the midst of the global crisis, countries are not traveling separately “in around 190 small boats, but in a giant ship on which the shared destiny of all depends”.
“Small boats may not survive a storm, but a giant ship is strong enough to weather a storm,” Xi said, adding that finding blame for the pandemic “would only cause unnecessary delays and distract from the overall objective.”
The speech is a new sting in Western countries, especially the US, which have cast doubt on China’s conduct and lack of transparency in relation to the coronavirus. President Joe Biden, for example, went so far as to say that the Xi Jinping regime deliberately hides information about the origin of the pandemic.
To defend the globalization of the economy, a new metaphor. “While countercurrents certainly exist in a river, nothing can stop it from flowing into the sea,” Xi said, defending globalization as a “more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all” solution.
With regard to China specifically, Xi’s speech was not lacking in self-praise. In addition to highlighting the country’s positive economic indices, the leader once again celebrated the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party, citing the victory in the battle against poverty and the construction of a modern socialist country in all aspects.
“First we will increase the pie, and then we will divide it properly through reasonable institutional arrangements. As the high tide lifts all boats, everyone will receive a fair share of the development, and the gains from development will benefit all our people more substantial and equitable,” Xi said.
The leader of the Chinese regime ended his speech defending the holding of the Beijing Winter Games, scheduled to start in less than two weeks, despite the rise in cases of Covid-19 and the diplomatic boycott of countries such as the US, UK and Australia.
“We are confident that China will present the world with efficient, safe and splendid Games. The official motto of Beijing 2022 is ‘together for a shared future’. Indeed, let us join hands with complete trust and work together for a shared future.” , concluded Xi.
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