Joe Biden stresses foreign policy legacy, including China relations, in final UN speech
US President Joe Biden focused on his foreign policy record during his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, including the importance of UN reform, international coalitions and the need to avoid a clash with and otherwise manage relations with China.
Biden's address touched on themes emphasised throughout his administration, which has seen tensions with China mount and closer ties evolve between Beijing and Moscow after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"We seek to responsibly manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict. We stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges for the good of our people and the people everywhere," he told the packed assembly.
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But the United States remains "unabashed" in pushing back against unfair economic competition, military coercion of other nations in the South China Sea and protecting the most advanced US technologies, he added.
"These partnerships are not against any nation. There are building blocks for a free, open, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific."
Biden also noted, however, that the US had recently resumed cooperation with Beijing to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics.
"I appreciate the collaboration," he said. "It matters for the people of my country and many others around the world."
Foreign affairs, honed during Biden's years on the Senate foreign relations committee, have been a mainstay of his career, and this speech was a bittersweet swan song as he faces his final four months in office.
"Today is the fourth time I've had the great honor of speaking to this assembly as president of the United States," he said. "It will be my last."
In addition to its focus on enhanced cooperation with allies to counter China, the Biden administration has focused on a more pronounced distinction between democracy and authoritarianism.
In one of his more introspective speeches since deciding reluctantly not to seek a second term, Biden called on global leaders - especially authoritarians who cling to power - to recognize when it is time to pass the torch to a younger generation.
"It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honor of my life," he said. "As much as I love the job, I love my country more."
"My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. It's your people."
Biden used the speech to revisit the "remarkable sweep of history" seen during his career, from the Vietnam War, apartheid in South African, the September 11 attacks, Iraq and Afghan wars and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling on leaders not to look away or grow weary but to "stand firm against aggression".
He also called for an end to the crisis in the Middle East even as his dream of playing peacemaker, crafting an end to the hostage crisis and putting Israelis and the Palestinians on a path to a two-state solution slips away.
As Biden ticked off the foreign policy issues he worked to shape and the need for UN reform, left unsaid was the possibility, even likelihood, that many of his initiatives would be reversed if former president and "American first" advocate Donald Trump wins the election in November.
In touting his efforts to strengthen ties with like-minded nations through alliances - including the US-Japan-India-Australia Quad and an expanded Nato - Biden added almost hopefully: "We're going to continue to strengthen our network of alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific."
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to the General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to the General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE>
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that the growing tension between the US, China and Russia was resulting in collateral damage globally
"Instability in many places around the world is a by-product of instability in power relations and geopolitical divides," Guterres said. "For all its failings, the Cold War had rules. There were hotlines, red lines and guardrails ... More and more countries are filling the spaces of geopolitical divides doing whatever they want with no accountability."
Biden was also set to host a summit on fentanyl and other synthetic drugs later on Tuesday. China remains the main source of fentanyl and precursor ingredients trafficked into the United States.
Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, pledged to address the problem at a summit in California last November, but in contrast with Biden's comments on Tuesday, US officials have criticized China for its lack of help, prompting the administration to take a more collective approach.
By involving other countries in the effort, Washington hoped to indirectly spur Beijing to act, a US official said in July 2023.
Since the July 2023 launch of the Biden initiative, known as the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, it has grown to include 158 countries and 15 international organisations. The group aims to halt manufacturing, detect new threats and promote effective public health measures. China has not joined.
When Biden came into office in January 2021, US drug overdose deaths were increasing by more than 30 per cent annually, a US official said Monday. But the latest provisional data shows an "unprecedented decline" in overdose deaths of roughly 10 per cent, she said.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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