UN Secretary General Guterres For China And The US: If Disagreement On Human Rights, Work Together In Climate Action

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed hope of a "realignment" in the relationship between the United States (US) and China. If two countries often have different views on human rights, the US and China should at least work together in climate action, Guterres hopes.

Beijing is pushing for greater global influence in a challenge to US leadership. Tensions between the two countries reached a boiling point at the United Nations last year, under the administration of US President Donald Trump, over the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I hope we will see a reset in the relationship between the United States and China," Guterres told reporters, quoted Friday, January 29.

"It is clear that in human rights matters, there are two very different views and it is clear that in human rights there is no room for mutual agreement or mission."

"There is a space where I believe a convergence of interests will grow, and my advice is for that space to be tracked by both parties, along with the rest of the international community, and that space is climate action."

Potential US President Joe Biden's ambassador to the UN on Wednesday accused China of trying to "push up an authoritarian agenda" in the 193-member world body.

When asked for a response, Guterres said: With regard to the UN I can guarantee that we are strongly committed to ensuring that the UN is a beacon of all values related to security, development and human rights.

Guterres also said he was "very worried" about the power of social media companies and said a regulatory scheme had to be in place so that decisions such as banning Trump from Twitter could be carried out "in line with the law."