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Head of UN warns China, US to avoid new Cold War

September 20, 2021 at 3:18 pm

Secretary General of United Nations Antonio Guterres in Brussels, Belgium on June 23, 2021 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]

United Nations Secretary-General has warned of a potential new cold war between China and the United States, AP reports.

During an exclusive interview AP, the UN head Antonio Guterres said that the world’s two major economic powers should avoid a cold war.

Guterres said both countries should be cooperating on climate and negotiating more robustly on trade and technology even given persisting political fissures about human rights, economics, online security, and sovereignty in the South China Sea.

“Two rival geopolitical and military strategies would pose dangers and divide the world,” he said, adding that a new cold war could be more perilous for humanity.

Relations between the US and China have long been a consideration for numerous Middle Eastern countries who seek to appease both global superpowers.

In May reports revealed that a  multibillion-dollar sale of advanced US weapons to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could be in jeopardy due to Washington’s concern over Abu Dhabi’s growing relations with China.

While in August, CIA Director William Burns warned Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the dangers of Chinese investments in Israel, particularly in the IT sector and major infrastructure projects.

US State Department’s Mira Resnick was reported saying: “We know our partners and allies in the Middle East have trade relations with China and that’s OK, … but we made it clear that there is a certain kind of cooperation with China we cannot live with.”

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