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China and Russia got their turns at the U.N. General Assembly podium on Saturday, but — per usual — their top leaders didn't speak. Instead, they turned to their foreign ministers, WANG YI and SERGEY LAVROV.
Wang's speech, per usual for China at the U.N., didn't break much new ground. He weighed in on the importance of national sovereignty — a frequent talking point for Beijing — and insisted, as he usually does, that Taiwan incontrovertibly belongs to China.
Wang warned fellow leaders against an “expansion of the battlefield” in Russia’s war with Ukraine and said the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict toward its end. He warned against other nations “throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains,” a likely reference to the United States.
Lavrov, meanwhile, waded into the topic of nukes three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin aired a shift in his country’s nuclear doctrine, “I’m not going to talk here about the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is,” he said.
Later, holding court at a news conference, he accused the United States of seeking “to preserve their hegemony and to govern everything.” He pointed to NATO’s deepening relations with four partners – New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Japan — as well as the so-called Quad which groups the U.S., India, Australia and Japan.
From the podium
ELOQUENCE BLUE RIBBON: The leader of Grenada, DICKON MITCHELL, went personal in his speech about resilience, spinning it into a mini-memoir that started with his birth in a small hillside village without running water or electricity. He went on to tell the story of his nation — and its people's resilience — through his eyes. “My personal resilience, in the face of the many difficulties that crossed my path over the years, allowed me to achieve the dream I sought. Finally, I was in a position to give back to my community,” he said. But he emphasized: “There is a limit to resilience.” And he called for the people of smaller nations like his to have more access to digital education, skills training “and the tools they need to compete in the global economy.”
PERVASIVE PESSIMISM: “The Middle East is going into one of its darkest hours," Norwegian Prime Minister ESPEN BARTH EIDE said in his speech. He called out Israeli leader BENJAMIN NETANYAHU's remarks that people are either with Israel or against it. “We have seen this film before. I didn't like the ending.”
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“We are just looking at managing these crises rather than solving them.”
—PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL-SAUD, foreign minister of Saudi Arabia
Voices you might have missed
“Empowering women is empowering prosperity for all.”
—Indonesian Foreign Minister RETNO LESTARI PRIANSARI MARSUDI
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"The increasingly evident interrelationships among global challenges highlight the need for member states, today more than ever, to work together to overcome difficulties."
—LUCA BECCARI, foreign minister of San Marino
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“If you try too hard to get rid of a pesky frog, it will end up settling in your own pond."
—Deputy Prime Minister ABDOULAYE MAIGA of Mali, citing a saying by national literary figure Amadou Hampâté Ba. The reference to unintended consequences came during Maiga’s discussion of regional politics.
Some thing you might not know
YOU HAD ONE JOB: Ever feel like you have to do everything at work? You’ve got nothing on Grenada's Mitchell. For the record, this is his title: “Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Physical Development, Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation and Minister for National Security, Home Affairs, Public Administration, Information and Disaster Management.” Hate to see his out-of-office note.
One notable number
Number of years China's communist government will have been in power as of Tuesday, as noted by Wang in his speech: 75
Quotable
“If we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse.”
—Indian Foreign Minister SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR
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“We’re all used to third-rate series and YouTube videos. We’re being taught to receive information in this simplistic way, forcing us to forget the truths which many humanists and great authors penned in the past.”
—Belarusian Foreign Minister MAXIM RYZHENKOV, going on to mention works by writers O. Henry, Graham Greene and Kurt Vonnegut
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“Science without conscience is the ruin of the soul.”
—AMADOU OURY BAH, president of Guinea
Up next
After five days of unceasing oratory, Sunday is a day off for the United Nations and the General Assembly leaders' speeches. The final slate of speakers, which convenes Monday, includes North Korea and Syria.
