Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the world to come together to fight the coronavirus pandemic and warned against a “new Cold War” in a speech Monday at the World Economic Forum, held virtually this year because of the pandemic.
“To build small cliques or start a new Cold War, to reject, threaten or intimidate others … will only push the world into division,” the Chinese president said in a 25-minute video speech.
Xi called for strengthening the G-20 as the “main forum for global economic governance.” The group, made up of 20 of the world’s leading developing and wealthy nations, should “engage in closer macro-economic policy coordination,” China's president added.
“We should build an open world economy … discard discriminatory and exclusionary standards, rules and systems, and take down barriers to trade, investment and technological exchanges,” Xi said.
Xi vowed to make China a more active participant in economic global governance.
“Multilateralism is the thought of the 21st century,” he added.
This is the first time Xi has attended the forum since 2017, when he defended free trade and globalization.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry represented the United States.
