Chinese President Xi Jinping’s comments come ahead of an upcoming virtual meeting with US counterpart Joe Biden.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against returning to Cold War-era tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, urging global cooperation ahead of a virtual meeting with his US counterpart.
In a recorded video message to a forum on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Xi said on Wednesday that attempts to draw ideological lines or form small circles on geopolitical grounds were bound to fail.
“The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era,” he said.
The Chinese president’s remarks were an apparent reference to US efforts with regional allies and partners including the Quad grouping with India, Japan and Australia, to blunt what they see as China’s growing coercive economic and military influence.
Tensions have escalated between China and the US in recent years, with Washington raising concerns over Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea as well as its stances on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan.
Amid the frictions, the sides said in October that they have agreed for their presidents to hold a virtual meeting before the year’s end.
Officials have not said when the meeting will take place, but the Reuters news agency, citing an unidentified source said Xi and US President Joe Biden could hold the talks as early as Monday.
Xi, in his speech at APEC, which is being hosted by New Zealand, also said that the most pressing tasks for the Asia Pacific region were emerging from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving steady economic recovery.
Countries must also do more to close the coronavirus immunisation gap, he said.
“We should translate the consensus that vaccines are a global public good into concrete actions to ensure their fair and equitable distribution,” Xi said.
In all, APEC members account for nearly 3 billion people and about 60 percent of the world’s GDP. But deep tensions run through the unlikely group of 21 nations and territories that include the US, China, Taiwan, Russia, and Australia.
Many of the countries in Asia endeavor to balance Chinese and US influences on the economic and geopolitical fronts.
China claims vast parts of the South China Sea and other areas and has moved to establish a military presence, building islands in some disputed areas as it asserts its historic claims.
Both Taiwan and China have applied to join a Pacific Rim trade pact, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, with Beijing saying it will block Taiwan’s bid on the basis that the self-ruled territory refuses to accept that it’s part of communist-ruled China.
It also remains unclear whether all APEC members will support a bid by the US to host the 2023 round of APEC meetings.
Still, officials say they have made significant progress during some 340 preliminary meetings leading up to this week’s leaders’ meeting. APEC members have agreed to reduce or eliminate many tariffs and border holdups on vaccines, masks and other medical products important to fighting the pandemic.
Climate change has also been a key item on the agenda at the summit, which is taking place in parallel with the United Nations’ COP26 meeting in Glasgow.
Xi said China would achieve its carbon neutrality targets within the time frame it has set and its carbon reduction action would require massive investment.