Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the world to avoid “weaponising” food and energy as the war in Ukraine and its economic fallout topped the agenda at the G20 leaders' summit in Bali.
In only his second international trip since the start of the pandemic, Mr Xi had face-to-face meetings with international leaders in a bid to reset a number of key relationships.
Mr Xi and France’s President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed that the world needed to prevent the use of nuclear arms in Ukraine at a meeting held hours after the Chinese leader agreed with US President Joe Biden that a nuclear war should not be fought as it cannot be won.
In his comments to world leaders, he appeared to balance his comments between warnings to Russia and opposition to western sanctions.
“We must firmly oppose politicisation, instrumentalisation and weaponisation of food and energy problems,” Mr Xi said.
“Drawing ideological lines and stirring up opposition among political blocs and factions will only divide the world and obstruct the advancement of humankind.”
He said the world’s wealthy nations must contain the fallout of interest rate increases, as the US Federal Reserve and other central banks move aggressively to fight inflation.
“We must contain global inflation and resolve systematic risks in the economy and finance,” Mr Xi said.
“Developed economies should reduce the negative spillover effects of their monetary policy adjustments and stabilise debts at a sustainable level.”
The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to their highest level since before the 2008 financial crisis as it seeks to tighten the money supply in an effort to control inflation.
The US monetary stance has pushed the dollar up to levels not seen in two decades, causing distress for developing economies that rely on exports or that are trying to curb inflation themselves.
As well as Ukraine, Mr Xi and Mr Macron also discussed financial support for indebted poorer nations.
“They expressed their determination to move forward with the implementation of a common debt framework, and raised the particularly urgent case of Zambia,” the Elysee Palace said.
Mr Xi's attendance at the summit came after a three-hour meeting on Monday night with Mr Biden where the pair agreed to work to close the yawning gap between the two powers.
With smiles and handshakes – as well as promises of further talks on climate change and trade – Mr Xi returned to centre stage after three years of self-imposed pandemic isolation that drastically curtailed his foreign meetings.
His agenda also included meetings with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo – the G20 summit host – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese premier Fumio Kishida.
With Chinese-Australian high-level meetings on ice, Mr Albanese said he was “very pleased” to be meeting Mr Xi at the summit.
“We have had our differences,” he acknowledged but added that “our bilateral relationship is an important one”.
Additional reporting by agencies
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Jebel Ali Dragons 26 Bahrain 23
Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
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Pens: Love 3
Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2
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Director: S Shankar
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Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
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