Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a vital address by video on Tuesday at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). As US President Joe Biden had made a speech to the UNGA just hours earlier, in comparison, Xi’s speech reflects the broad-mindedness of the Chinese top leader, and his fairness and reason when he discussed issues and challenges. The two speeches demonstrated the different political thinking and working logic between China and the US, as well as the different values of the two countries’ foreign policies. Xi’s speech was based on the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind. From its theme to the specific initiatives, it focused on the common interests of mankind and the world. The Global Development Initiative, which Xi proposed, is for all countries. To promote the initiative, Xi called for staying committed to development as a priority, a people-centered approach, benefits for all, and result-oriented actions. Xi also highlighted the importance of innovation-driven development and the harmony between humanity and nature. They are universal and do not contain any political exclusion. They are a true practice of strengthening international solidarity and meeting challenges together. Biden also mentioned the phrase “all people” a lot in his speech. But this was more like the sentimental “rhetoric” part of the whole speech. The actual subject of Biden’s speech is the US, together with its allies and partners. From making rules to seeking benefits, it all revolves around this chain of subjects. Other countries are either foils or the challengers of the US that Biden did not name. President Xi stressed in his speech that the world should embrace civilizations of various forms, and must accommodate diverse paths to modernization. He then emphasized that democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy. And military intervention from the outside and the so-called democratic transformation will entail nothing but harm. In the speech, Xi promotes the common values of humanity and rejects the practice of forming small circles and zero-sum games. Such claims either vividly reflect various practices of countries or summarize some important lessons from today’s world. For instance, while defending the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has admitted that it is impossible to remake other countries through large-scale military operations. Biden’s speech not only distinguished its allies and partners from other countries. Disregarding the fact that the US just encountered the fiasco of democratic reconstruction in Afghanistan, Biden continued to blaze the dichotomy which divides the world into “democracy” and “authoritarianism.” He gave some of the worst turmoil and wars a fancy label of “democratic vitality.” Joint development is the main thread for China to drive global change, while that of the US is to engage in a “democracy movement.”
–The Daily Mail-Global Times News Exchange Item
