Donald Trump calls for world leaders to 'hold China accountable' at combative UNGA speech

At the 75th anniversary gathering of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, US President Donald Trump urged the world leaders to “hold China accountable” for the handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak while the COVID-19 death toll in America surpassed 200,000. In the recorded video message to participate in the watered-down but most prolific ever UNGA session amid the global health crisis, Trump not only attacked China yet again but also talked about how every government should prioritise its own nation while also echoing his own ‘America First’ campaign mantra. 

While the US Elections 2020 are just around the corner and the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to tighten its grip on the United States months after it first originated in China, Trump still urged the leaders to “take care of your own citizens” as the true way of finding the basis for the cooperation. He even touted his own approach that was also his main agenda back in 2016 fetching him his first run as the US President, that was, putting America first. 

Even though the speeches of American presidents have emerged to be the highlights of UNGA sessions, according to reports, Trump’s brief address was the shortest GA speech by a US President in more than 20 years. He expressed his willingness to hold China accountable without mentioning what kind of approach he was referring to after previously calling the coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus” among other names to attack the Asian superpower.

“Only when you take care of your own citizens, will you find a true basis for cooperation,” Trump said. “As president, I have rejected the failed approaches of the past, and I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first. That’s OK. That’s what you should be doing.”

“The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions,” Trump said.

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China’s indirect attack on US

Speaking after US President Donald Trump, the Chinese President Xi Jinping took oblique potshots at America and saying that the world shall “not fall into the trap of a clash of civilizations”. Without mentioning any specific nation, Xi Jinping even said “major countries should act like major countries” while also calling out for international cooperation to brace for the upcoming challenges posed by the global health crisis. 

“COVID-19 reminds us that the economic globalization is an indisputable reality and a historical trend,” Xi said. “Burying one’s head in the sand like an ostrich in the face of economic globalization or trying to fight it with Don Quixote’s lance goes against the trend of history. Let this be clear: The world will never return to isolation.”

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Inputs/Image: AP