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The US President’s speech came as a pre-recorded message
Tensions between the United States and China erupted at the annual UN General Assembly in New York, with US President Donald Trump blaming China for the spread of the coronavirus.
He called for holding China accountable for the epidemic.
In his speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country had “no intention of entering the Cold War with any country”.
There is tension between the two world powers on many fronts.
The summit is being held on a grand scale in New York this year, with world leaders giving pre-recorded speeches.
The new format meant that some geopolitical theaters were absent from the presentation at the crucial United States meeting. Each country was represented by a single delegate and there was little opportunity for one country to contradict the other.
But as is often the case with Assembly speeches, President Trump used his address to testify to his accomplishments and to bring tears to the eyes of his opponents.
“We must hold accountable the nation that brought this catastrophe to the world-China,” he said.
“In the early days of the virus, China banned domestic travel, allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. China condemned my travel ban on their country, although That they canceled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes. ” .
President Trump, whose record on the coronavirus is under close scrutiny as the United States goes to the polls, has repeatedly accused Beijing of covering up the virus, saying it could have prevented the spread of the disease. China has called the attacks a breach of trust.
US coronavirus death toll rises to over 200,000 The highest in the world and President Trump often overcame the disease.
Tensions are high between the US and China over trade, technology, Hong Kong and China’s Xinjiang province, among other issues, including the treatment of Muslim minorities.
Speaking immediately after the US leader, President Xi warned of the dangers of a “clash of civilizations.”
“We will continue to resolve differences and coordination through dialogue and dialogue with others,” he said.
In a statement issued ahead of Tuesday’s speech, President Xi called the United States “the right to dominate world affairs, control the fortunes of others or take advantage of development.” No, that’s something China is. Accused by critics.
Trump targets American voters
By Laura Travelian, BBC News
It was a shocking speech by President Trump, who faces re-election in 40 days. He looked at Beijing with the utmost determination – accusing him and his followers of calling China a virus to take countless lives.
Mr. Trump is trying to draw attention to the pandemic in order to impose an apocalypse on China, while emphasizing US efforts to find a cure.
We will end the epidemic, the President promised, adding that thanks to the efforts of the United States, three vaccines are in the final stages of development. For good measure, Trump criticized the United Nations World Health Organization for its criticism of China, saying the international body from which it was withdrawing US funds was in fact controlled by China, and Accusing him of spreading what he called misinformation about the virus.
This was not a subtle speech. It was a clear attempt to shift the blame, as Americans are already voting in the presidential election.
The assembly was inaugurated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, without naming China or the United States, warned that “we must do everything we can to avoid a new Cold War.”
“We are moving in a very dangerous direction,” he said. “Our world cannot support a future where two major economies divide the world into one big fracture – each with its own trade and financial rules and the Internet and fake intelligence capabilities.”
“There is no place for self-interest in the face of coronavirus,” he said. “Popularity and nationalism have failed,” he said. “Those ways of controlling the virus have often made things worse.
President Trump took a very different approach in his speech, saying, “Only when you care for your own citizens will you find the right basis for cooperation.”
In other speeches:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he wants to hold an online conference as soon as possible to discuss global cooperation on vaccines and ways to deliver them.
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has rejected criticism of his country’s environmental policies, saying Brazil was a victim of a “brutal campaign of misinformation”. The Amazon rainforest is currently experiencing its worst fires in years
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for “cordial” talks with Greece over growing energy resources in the Mediterranean.
