(Reuters) – The Asia-Pacific region must not return to the tensions of the Cold War era, China’s leader Xi Jinping said on Thursday, ahead of a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden expected as soon as next week.
“The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era,” Xi said in a recorded video message to a CEO forum on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit hosted by New Zealand.
Xi added that attempts to draw ideological lines or form small circles on geopolitical grounds are bound to fail.
(Reporting by Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom and Eric Beech in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
