Xi swipe at US, India: ‘Don’t boss around’
In a speech closely watched by both the United States and India Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping opposed both a “new Cold War” and “bossing others around”, saying “big countries should behave in a manner befitting their status and with a greater sense of responsibility” and “we must not let the rules set by one or a few countries be imposed on others”.
He said: “However strong it may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion, or a sphere of influence, nor will China ever engage in an arms race”. Batting for the Belt and Road Initiative, Mr Xi said: “Chinese businesses have already started joint vaccine production in BRI nations like Indonesia, Brazil, UAE, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey”.
In veiled references to the US and India while delivering the keynote address at “Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021”, President Xi also said “in this age of economic globalisation, openness and integration is an unstoppable historical trend” and that “attempts to ‘erect walls’ or ‘decouple’ run counter to the law of economics and market principles” and “would hurt others’ interests without benefiting oneself”.
In an important development for India, President Xi also said “once the pandemic gets under control, China will host the second Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations as part of our active efforts to promote inter-civilisation dialogue in Asia and beyond”.
Amid global concerns over the ill-effects of a USChina trade war amidst the pandemic, China has also been wary of the Quad, which it sees as an attempt to contain it.
Mr Xi said: “We must not let the rules set by one or a few countries be imposed on others, or allow unilateralism pursued by certain countries to set the pace for the whole world.”