Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 22, 2025

Xi Jinping urges ‘stronger international cooperation’ and quick action to fight coronavirus pandemic and stave off global recession

Xi Jinping urges ‘stronger international cooperation’ and quick action to fight coronavirus pandemic and stave off global recession

Chinese president pushes for unity and solidarity in videoconference with other Group of 20 leaders at emergency ‘virtual’ summit. Trump and Xi will speak on a call that the US leader says he expects to be a ‘good conversation’

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “stronger international cooperation on all fronts” to fight the Covid-19 pandemic as well as urgent action to stop a global economic recession, in his first major speech to an international audience since the start of the public health crisis.

Speaking in a videoconference with other Group of 20 leaders on Thursday, Xi urged unity and solidarity and delivered three main messages: strengthen international efforts to stop the virus; shore up the economy amid downward trends; and subtly call on the US to stop its hostile moves against China.

As nearly half a million people have been infected with the virus, Xi called for joint research and development of drugs and vaccines. There are currently no cures or preventive medication for the virus.

“At the most difficult moments for China, many members of the international community provided China with sincere help and support. We would remember and value this friendship forever,” Xi said.

“We must comprehensively step up international cooperation and foster greater synergy so that humanity as one could win the battle against such a major infectious disease.”

The Chinese leader also called for stronger economic measures to “help prevent world economy from entering recession”.
“Powerful and effective financial and fiscal policies should be implemented,” Xi said, calling for action to stabilise supply chains that have been severely disrupted for three months.

In a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump’s repeated references to Covid-19 as “the Chinese virus”, Xi told the G20 leaders, of which Trump was one: “The virus knows no boundaries, and the pandemic is our common enemy. All countries must join hands and put up the strictest network for joint prevention and joint control [of the disease].”



In a joint statement released following the meeting, the 20 countries pledged to “spare no effort, both individually and collectively” to: protect lives; safeguard people’s livelihoods; protect financial stability and revive growth; minimise disruption to trade; provide help to all countries in need; and coordinate on public health measures.

The pandemic was a “powerful reminder” of the countries’ interconnectedness and vulnerabilities, and required “a transparent, robust, coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity,” the statement said.

Speaking effusively about the teleconference during a White House briefing later on Thursday, Trump called it a “terrific meeting” and said there was “tremendous spirit” among all the countries represented.

In a departure from previous comments in which he has accused Beijing of covering up the outbreak and costing the rest of the world valuable time, Trump said that all the nations represented had been sharing information and data “to a large extent.”

But minutes later, Trump appeared to cast doubt on the veracity of China’s data, following a question about analysis by the New York Times’ today indicating that the US has now surpassed the country in terms of total number of cases.

“You don’t know what the numbers are in China – China tells you numbers,” he said, before claiming the development was a “tribute” to the ramping up of testing in the US.

Trump said he was scheduled to have a phone call later on Thursday with Xi, adding that he expected it to be a “good conversation”.

In his speech earlier in the day, Xi had also indirectly referred to the US’ refusal to remove tariffs against Chinese goods as a result of Trump’s trade war, and promised to further relax restrictions on market access for foreign businesses – the subject of US and European complaints for years.

“China will steadfastly expand reforms and opening up, widen market access, continuously perfect the business environment, expand imports and outbound investment, and contribute to global economic stability,” Xi said.

He added: “Members of G20 should adopt common policies to eliminate tariffs, remove trade barriers, facilitate trade and send a powerful message to boost morale to global economic recovery.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
×