Guterres calls out to Washington and Beijing at the opening of the UN General Assembly

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on September 21, 2021. AP - Eduardo Munoz

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The general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly began this Tuesday, September 21 with a speech by its secretary general, which encouraged the United States and China to "dialogue" and "understanding" .

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In his opening speech, the United Nations Secretary General warned the United States and China against further degradation of the world already " 

on the brink 

".

Antonio Guterres called for a dialogue between Washington and Beijing, especially in the region of the world most scrutinized and coveted at the moment: the Indo-Pacific zone.

He wished to warn of the risk of a bipolar world trapped in Sino-American tensions: " 

We are facing the greatest cascade of crises of our life

," he noted.

I'm afraid our world is heading towards two different sets of economic, business, financial and technological rules, two divergent approaches to the development of artificial intelligence - and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies.

 "

“ 

We need to have a dialogue. We need understanding. We need to invest in prevention, maintenance and peacebuilding. We need progress in nuclear disarmament and in our common counterterrorism efforts. We need actions rooted in respect for human rights,

 ”insisted Antonio Guterres.

A hundred heads of state and government are present in New York despite the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as dozens of ministers.

Among them, of course, US President Joe Biden, who was speaking for the first time before the UN General Assembly, in the midst of the submarine crisis.

We are not looking for a new Cold War or a world divided into blocks

" but the United States will defend its place in the world " 

vigorously 

", he said.

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  • United States

  • China

  • UN

  • Antonio Guterres