Xi Jinping: No bullying China supports UN role, rejects unilateralism

An Baijie

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it loud and clear that no single country can dictate terms.
No country should be allowed to do whatever it likes and be the hegemon or bully, Xi said. “Unilateralism is a dead end,” he said.
In a video speech delivered at a high-level meeting in honour of the UN’s 75th anniversary, he said China firmly supported the United Nations’ central role in global affairs but opposes any country acting like boss of the world.
“No country has the right to dominate global affairs, control the destiny of others or keep advantages in development all to itself,” Xi said.

Noting that the UN must stand firm for justice, Xi said that mutual respect and equality among all countries, big or small, is the foremost principle of the UN Charter.
Xi pointed out that it is imperative that the representation and voice of developing countries be increased so that the UN is more balanced in reflecting the interests of the majority of countries in the world.
Big countries should lead by example in advocating and upholding the international rule of law and in honouring their commitments, Xi said.
International laws should not be distorted or used as a pretext to undermine other countries’ legitimate rights and interests or world peace and stability, he added.

Xi said that a Cold War mentality, ideological lines or a zero-sum game are no solution to a country’s own problems, still less an answer to mankind’s common challenges.
“What we need to do is to replace conflict with dialogue, coercion with consultation and zero-sum with win-win,” he said.
Xi called on UN members to focus on real action, rather than just talk, to put into practice the principle of multilateralism.
The UN should aim at problem-solving and move toward tangible outcomes as it advances security, development and human rights in parallel, he said.

Xi reaffirmed China’s commitment to following multilateralism, saying that the country will stay actively engaged in reforming and developing the global governance system.
Xi spoke highly of the role played by the UN in promoting peace and stability of the world since the organization’s establishment in 1945, with a great many countries having gained national independence and over 1 billion people having emerged from poverty since then.
Noting that problems facing the world are big and global challenges are on the increase, Xi said the problems can only be resolved through dialogue and cooperation.

“The understanding that we are all in the same boat is now the popular consensus in the global community,” he said.
China is a founding member of the UN and the only developing country that has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The theme of the high-level meeting is “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism.”
In his statement, Xi said the economic globalization is an indisputable reality and a historical trend.
“The world will never return to isolation, and no one can sever the ties between countries,” he said.
Xi called for full and balanced development that delivers benefit to people from all countries, sectors and backgrounds in an equitable way.

He also called on countries to pursue open and inclusive development, remain committed to building an open world economy, and uphold the multilateral trading regime with the World Trade Organization as the cornerstone.
“We should say no to unilateralism and protectionism, and work to ensure the stable and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains,” said the president.
The pandemic reminds the world the humankind should launch a green revolution and move faster to create a green way of development and life, Xi said.

He called on countries to pursue innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all, seize the historic opportunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and achieve a green recovery of the world economy in the post-COVID era.
China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous policies and measures, said Xi, adding that China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.