Biden pledges ‘relentless diplomacy’ instead of war
In address to UN General Assembly, US president tries to reassure world allies concerned for future
JOE BIDEN sought to reassure the world of America’s leadership amid a growing backlash from allies, promising an era of “relentless diplomacy” instead of “relentless war”.
In his first address as US President to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Biden said the Nato alliance was “sacred” and the nations must “work together like never before” to avoid tipping into a new Cold War.
He said the globe was at the “dawning of what must be a decisive decade” and faced a moment “intermingled with great pain and extraordinary possibility”.
It was at an “inflection point in history” between democracy and autocracy, and the threats of future pandemics and climate change could only be overcome by strengthening global alliances.
Mr Biden had hoped his appearance at the UN would be a celebration of the fact that, for the first time in 20 years, America was not at war in Afghanistan, but the chaotic withdrawal left allies questioning US leadership.
France, America’s oldest ally, has been outraged by Mr Biden’s decision to supply nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia, leading to the scrapping of a major Australian contract with the French.
Despite Mr Biden’s pledges that “America is back” after the “America First” foreign policy of Donald Trump, he has also faced scepticism from allies over issues including sharing of coronavirus vaccines, pandemic travel restrictions, and his approach to China.
Seeking to reassure allies, Mr Biden told the UN that the US was “back at the table”. He said: “As we close this period of relentless war, we’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy.
“To deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world. We will choose to build a better future. We, you and I, we have the will and capacity to make it better. We will not go alone. We’ll lead together with our allies and partners.”
He said decisions made now on “our shared future” would “reverberate for generations”, adding: “We will all suffer the consequences of our failures if we don’t come together to tackle Covid-19, climate change or threats like nuclear proliferation.”
The President said he would work with Congress to double funds by 2024 to $11.4billion (£8.35billion) a year to help developing nations deal with climate change.
He said the US would continue to defend itself militarily against terrorist threats, but the “mission must be clear and achievable” and would not involve large scale troop deployments.
Mr Biden said: “US military power must be our tool of last resort, not our first. It should not be used as an answer to every problem we see around the world. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against Covid-19 or its future variants.”
He did not mention China by name but expressed alarm at human rights in Xinjiang, saying technology must “not be used for repression”, and that he would seek to “manage shifts in global
‘We’ll choose to build a better future. We will not go alone. We’ll lead together with our allies and partners’
power dynamics”.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretarygeneral, had warned that relations between the US and China were “totally dysfunctional” and could plunge the rod into a new “more dangerous” Cold War. Mr Biden said: “We are not seeking, I say it again, we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocks.”
Xi Jinping said last night that China would stop funding coal projects overseas, reducing a key source of pollution behind climate change.
The Chinese leader told the UN in a recorded address: “China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.”
He also said that China aimed to provide two billion Covid-19 vaccines doses to the world by the end of the year. He told other world leaders: “China will never invade or bully others or seek hegemony.”
Mr Xi said China was a “builder of world peace and defender of the international order”, and praised the “noble cause” of the UN.