TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President China Xi Jinping said the Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and cannot become an arena for high-power competitions. This was underlined by Xi Jinping in a remark written on Thursday, November 17, 2022.

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He called on the world to reject the Cold War. “No attempt to stir up a new cold war is permitted by our people or our times,” Xi Jinping said at a business event on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit or APEC Summit in Bangkok.

“We must follow the path of openness and inclusiveness,” he said in a speech delivered by organizers. He added that the Asia-Pacific region should not turn into an arena for high power competitions.

“Unilateralism and protectionism must be rejected by all, any attempt to politicize and militarize economic and trade relations must also be rejected.”

The APEC summit has so far been dominated by geopolitical tensions related to the war in Ukraine. At the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Bali, the countries unanimously adopted a statement saying most of its members condemned the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Russia is a member of the G20 and APEC. However, President Vladimir Putin did not attend the APEC summit but sent First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov.

Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said the 21-member APEC summit meeting would begin on Friday. “The APEC summit is taking place at a very important time, with the world facing various risks,” he said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the main meeting. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is a special guest.

Xi Jinping is due to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday. The meeting came a day after tensions simmered in Bali, which Xi criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself. The criticism focused on the alleged leak of their closed-door meeting. Trudeau was also present at the APEC summit in Bangkok.

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Reuters