XI JINPING PUSHES GLOBAL COOPERATION, RAPS ARROGANT LEADERS

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a return to multilateralism, with leaders working together to put the global economy back on track, in his first speech since his US counterpart, Joe Biden, took office, Carly Walsh and Lauren Said-Moorhouse reported.

Speaking at the Davos Agenda event hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Xi urged increased global cooperation in response to the coronavirus pandemic and said that to "slip into arrogant isolation will always fail."

"For the first time in history, the economies of all regions have been hit hard at the same time, with global industrial and supply chains clogged and trade and investment down in the doldrums.

Despite the trillions of dollars in relief packages worldwide, global recovery is rather shaky and the outlook remains uncertain," Xi said.

The Chinese president called on governments "to abandon ideological prejudice and jointly follow a path of peaceful coexistence, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation."

Xi continued his theme of inclusion throughout the address, adding: "To build small circles or start a new Cold War ... will only push the world into division and even confrontation."

While Xi did not explicitly refer to any other country or world leader, he did say that humanity had "learned lessons the hard way" and that "history is not long gone" when talking about divisions.

China has been accused of parroting American exceptionalism and arrogantly insisting on snatching maritime features in the South China Sea (SCS) and rejecting the 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that threw out China’s historical claim to Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines.

Beijing has also been raked over the coals for the stiff terms of its foreign loans, securing a port in Djibouti after a loan default and letting Zambia default rather than allow debt restructuring.

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