Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
China’s Vice President Han Zheng used his address to the UN General Assembly to restate Beijing’s familiar global positions, with development at the centre of his message. He also made measured remarks on the US war with Iran, artificial intelligence, multilateralism and protectionism, while avoiding any direct mention of Taiwan.
The speech came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping met US President Donald Trump in Washington for a state dinner and a visit to the National Archives. Han’s appearance itself drew attention, as China has often used high-profile public events to place senior leaders on the global stage.
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Han said, “China has created two miracles at home, namely fast economic growth and long-term social stability.” His sharpest remarks were on protectionism, as China and the United States have been locked in a tariff dispute for more than a year, although tensions have eased somewhat amid delayed measures, court battles and a softer tone from Trump towards Xi. “Both history and reality prove that countries can hardly achieve development without an open and cooperative international environment,” Han said. “Protectionism produces no winners.”
His speech did not directly mention Taiwan, which has often featured in China’s UN addresses. The omission stood out against the backdrop of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the self-governing island’s future and defence. Beijing considers Taiwan a part of China.
Han placed development at the top of the global agenda, saying much of the world order should be organised around raising living standards. He repeated Beijing’s long-held line that development helps create peace. Referring to China’s Belt and Road initiative, he said China has worked with three-quarters of the world’s nations through related projects.
On multilateralism, Han said, “Multilateralism is a choice made by humanity after going through scourges.” He added, “We should settle the differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and oppose unilateral military actions that violate the UN Charter and circumvent Security Council authorisation.” Speaking about Iran, where the US and Israel have been waging war since early this year, Han said, “China holds that the sovereignty and security of countries in the Middle East, including the Gulf, should be respected.” He also said the world should “safeguard the postwar international order” and “reject the Cold War mindset and block confrontation.” Han also spoke about empowering the Global South.
Xi’s absence from the UN podium prompted discussion, but analysts said it was not unusual. Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation, said there has never been “a convention” requiring the Chinese president to attend the General Assembly. He noted that Xi’s predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao attended major UN meetings selectively, and Xi himself last addressed the body virtually in 2021 during the pandemic. Last year, Premier Li Qiang represented China, while senior diplomat Wang Yi has also spoken several times in recent years and accompanied Xi on the Washington trip.
“Both the premier and the vice president are sufficiently senior representatives that I would be cautious about interpreting the choice between them as a diplomatic signal in itself,” Wang Zichen said. He added that China presents the UN as an important global institution, so “it would be difficult to argue from the level of representation alone that China is becoming less interested in the UN.” Unlike Li’s 2025 speech, which included personal observations about arriving in New York, Han kept closely to formal diplomatic language. “Diversity has created splendour in the world,” he said. “Condescension and the self-centred mindset have no place in the interactions among different cultures. Promoting mutual trust, mutual respect, solidarity and harmonious coexistence is the right approach to take.”
In his speech, Han largely stayed with Beijing’s established positions on development, multilateralism and the Global South, while making brief comments on protectionism and the Middle East. The speech also stood out for what it did not include, with no direct reference to Taiwan, even as his presence underscored China’s use of senior leaders at major international events.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
