China’s Xi pitches competing development vision for Asia

Bloomberg

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Asia-Pacific was “no one’s backyard” in written remarks to an economic summit in Thailand, in which he pitched his vision for greater regional cooperation on development and security.
Xi’s speech was released to a gathering of business executives shortly after he arrived for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Bangkok. The gathering came as part of a flurry of diplomacy for the Chinese president including meeting US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, Indonesia.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha opened the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings with a speech Thursday morning, kicking off three days of talks focused on boosting economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha urged French President Emmanuel Macron to support the revival of the kingdom’s free-trade talks with the European Union, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement after the two leaders met.
The EU froze talks with Thailand for the free trade deal in 2014 after Prayuth, who was army chief at the time, seized power from a civilian government. Prayuth will also look to set up a “dialogue mechanism” with France to discuss security challenges and tighten military ties, Anucha said.
Xi is expected to continue face-to-face meetings with several leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern. There will be at least one notable absence from the Bangkok meetings. US President Joe Biden is heading back to the White House for his granddaughter’s wedding Saturday and will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris at APEC. Harris was expected to arrive late Thursday.
“The Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for big power contest,” Xi said. “No attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the power or by our times.”
The remarks appeared directed at the US, although Xi didn’t mention the nation by name. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had used similar language earlier this year, while warning that the region shouldn’t become a place where China and the US confront each other.
During the summits in Southeast Asia this week, Xi has held a series of high-profile meetings with international leaders with whom China has recently had tense relationships, including Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The Chinese leader is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later on Thursday.
Xi was due to speak at the APEC CEO Summit on Thursday afternoon but the speech at the in-person event was canceled at the last minute due to “scheduling conflicts,” summit organizers said.