Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations via video on Sept. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at a high-level UN meeting on Monday, which stressed that "No country has the right to dominate global affairs, control the destiny of others, or keep advantages in development all to itself," sent a strong warning against US hegemony and bullying practices that threaten to upend the world order and stability, observers said on Tuesday.
In his speech at a high-level meeting to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on Monday, Xi noted that the UN must stand firm for justice, uphold the rule of law, promote cooperation and focus on real action.
Relations between countries and coordination of their interests must only be based on rules and institutions, and they must not be lorded over by those who wave a strong fist at others, Xi said.
Cold War mentality, ideological lines or zero-sum games are no solution to a country's problems, still less an answer to mankind's common challenges, Xi noted.
Chinese analysts noted it was a clear message to the US, which is stubbornly heading to the dead end of unilateralism in the hope of safeguarding its own privilege while exploiting the development opportunities of others.
"This is a clear message opposing the Trump administration's recklessly quitting international organizations and pushing a unilateral agenda with hegemonic power," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"It is an ironic contrast that the US was a fervent advocate of a multilateral world when the UN was established, and today it has become the biggest troublemaker for the world order when it thought the order no longer meets its own needs," he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Tuesday's press conference also noted that Xi's address to the UN's high-level meeting shows China's firm determination in upholding UN-centered multilateralism and the world order based on international law, and safeguarding UN's core role in international affairs while always acting as a practitioner of multilateralism.
Xi has recently called for the upholding of multilateralism and opposition to hegemony multiple times. In early September, when the world celebrated the 75th anniversary of the victory of the anti-Fascist War, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged messages and Xi said he was ready to work with his Russian counterpart to join efforts with the international community to resolutely safeguard international fairness and justice.
At a symposium commemorating the victory, Xi noted "the Chinese people will never allow any individual or any force to jeopardize their peaceful life and right to development, obstruct their exchanges and cooperation with other peoples, or undermine the noble cause of peace and development for humanity."
Xi, in a speech delivered via video at the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services, pledged that China will promote greater harmonization of rules for the services sector at the multilateral and regional levels, and work for continued improvement in global economic governance and more inclusive growth of the world economy.