Xi says Asia shouldn’t be a ‘great power contest’ as APEC begins

• World leaders gather in Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
• Leaders from 21 economies are gathering to discuss ways to foster growth in the region.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping urges for peace, stability and the creation of a more equitable international order.

As world leaders assemble for the final of three summits held in the region this month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to avoid conflict in Asia and warned against the possibility of tensions reminiscent of the Cold War.

In a draught address made public before Friday’s opening day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in Bangkok, Xi laid out his desire for China to be seen as a driver of regional cooperation while simultaneously appearing to take subtle shots at the United States.

The Asia-Pacific region is “no one’s backyard” and should not become “an arena for big power contest,” Xi said in the statement, in which he also decried “any attempt to politicize and weaponize economic and trade relations.”

“No attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the people or by our times,” he added in the remarks, which were addressed to business leaders meeting alongside the summit and did not name the US.

As the main event began on Friday morning, Xi delivered a separate speech to the APEC leaders in a more subdued tone, urging for stability, peace, and the creation of a “more equitable international order.”

For the two-day summit, leaders and representatives from 21 economies on both sides of the Pacific are gathering in the Thai capital to discuss the best ways to foster growth in the area, which lies on the fault lines of US-China rivalry and is coping with local tensions as well as the economic effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

When North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday morning, it was the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un conducting its second weapons test in as many days amid escalating provocations from Pyongyang.

In an unexpected media briefing, Japanese, South Korean, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian officials joined US Vice President Kamala Harris outside the summit to denounce the launch.

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