Biden addresses UN as questions surround US leadership

UNITED NATIONS • US President Joe Biden delivered his debut address at the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN yesterday amid strong new doubts about his ability to vault the United States back into a position of global leadership after his predecessor's fractious tenure and promotion of "America First" isolationism.

Speaking to a smaller-than-usual audience of his peers because of the still-raging coronavirus pandemic, Mr Biden called for a new era of global unity against the virus, emerging technological threats and the expanding influence of countries such as China and Russia.

"No matter how challenging or how complex the problems we are going to face, government by and for the people is still the best way to deliver for all of our people," he said, insisting that the US and its Western allies will remain vital partners. "Our security, our prosperity and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before."

The UN General Assembly, featuring annual speeches by world leaders, was convened yesterday against a backdrop of disastrous climate change, polarised superpower relations and a devastating pandemic that has worsened the global rich-poor divide.

"We are on the edge of an abyss and moving in the wrong direction," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his opening remarks.

He urged the US and China to engage in dialogue, warning of an increasingly divided world.

"I fear our world is creeping towards two different sets of economic, trade, financial and technology rules, two divergent approaches in the development of artificial intelligence - and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies," he said.

The UN event amounted to a major test of credibility for Mr Biden, who was among the first to address the 193-member General Assembly.

Among the last to speak was set to be President Xi Jinping of China, via pre-recorded video.

White House officials depicted Mr Biden's speech as an opportunity to underscore US commitment to restoring international institutions, and focus global efforts on combating climate change and Covid-19.

Many expected him to expound on the theme that the world faces a choice between the democratic values espoused by the West and the disregard for them by China and other governments. But he spoke in the context of a spate of negative news.

He has not been able to contain the Covid-19 pandemic at home, and his efforts to help provide vaccines to struggling areas of the world have done little to mitigate the yawning discrepancy in inoculation rates between wealthy and poor countries.

His appearance also comes less than a month after America's chaotic exit from its 20-year military engagement in Afghanistan.

And last week, he outraged France in an arms deal with Australia that left one of the biggest French military contracts in ruins and created new doubts in the European Union about his administration's honesty.

Mr Biden said the US does not seek a "new Cold War", in a reference to relations with China.

"The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to share challenges even if we have intense disagreement in other areas."

He did not mention China by name, other than voicing alarm about human rights in Xinjiang.

Mr Biden urged the world to turn from conflict towards cooperation against the urgent threats of climate change and disease. "Instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes and devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future," he said.

He described climate change and the continuing coronavirus pandemic as "urgent and looming crises wherein lie enormous opportunities", if the world can "work together to seize" them.

He pledged that the US would double its financial support to help low-income countries adapt to a warming climate and shift to clean energy. In April, he had committed US$5.7 billion (S$7.7 billion) towards this purpose.

NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS