(Bloomberg) — Top U.S. Cabinet officials emphasized Monday that they want to keep lines of communication open with China, a message that is in line with the White House’s efforts to arrange a meeting between the two countries’ leaders later this year.
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“The world expects us to manage our relationship responsibly,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in New York before the start of the UN General Assembly. “We are committed to a healthy economic relationship” with China, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a separate event. “It can be a competitive relationship, but it is also a win-win relationship in many areas.”
Read more: Blinken meets vice president of China on sidelines of UN meeting in New York
China’s Xi Jinping has backed Russia’s Vladimir Putin despite his invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, and the war is expected to be a major topic during this week’s events. Han was slightly more candid, saying that the two sides should both “show more sincerity and more efforts and meet each other halfway.”
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(All times are NY)
Erdogan says team is “successfully controlling inflation” (11:35 p.m.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of government and business leaders in New York, speaking to the Star of the UN General Assembly, that “global inflation threatened all countries,” but that Turkey’s economics team “has done intensive work” and “ successfully maintains inflation.” the process of containing inflation at the end of this year or early next year.”
On Tuesday, the Turkish Finance Minister will deliver a similar message to investors. Mehmet Simsek will speak at a conference co-hosted by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and the Turkey-US Business Council, in an effort to attract much-needed investment to his country’s troubled economy, fighting price increases of nearly 60%. meet Thursday, with most analysts surveyed by Bloomberg seeing the policy marker raising the policy rate from 25% to 30%.
Lula and Zelenskiy meet on UN sidelines after tensions (3:04 PM)
Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine will hold their first face-to-face meeting in New York this week in an effort to bridge differences over the Russian invasion and how to end it.
The long-awaited meeting will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and comes as the US and other allies have sought to unite countries from the so-called Global South, including Brazil, who have remained skeptical of their efforts to to increase pressure. about Russia.
Germany urges focus on Russian ‘criminal’ war (2:35 p.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned the world ahead of the UN General Assembly, calling the war in Ukraine one of the biggest challenges to the post-World War II order.
“This week will always be about what the Russian president has done with his criminal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Scholz told reporters shortly before a speech about the U.N. efforts on a series of ambitions known as as the Sustainable Development Goals. “We will also insist very specifically that the world community feels bound by its principles.”
Blinken: Iran’s Nuclear Program ‘No. 1’ care (1:46 p.m.)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the door open for diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program, saying the country’s ambitions were a top priority for President Joe Biden.
“When it comes to perhaps the most important area of concern, Iran’s nuclear program, we continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve a lasting, effective outcome,” Blinken told reporters on Monday.
He and other U.S. officials played down the possibility of a major breakthrough in Iran at this week’s U.N. meetings. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was due to be in New York, but US officials said there would be no direct meetings with Biden.
US preparations in support of Cuba (12:05)
The US plans to ease restrictions on Cuba so that small businesses can receive more financial support from the US, even as the country continues to maintain a heavy economic embargo.
The US will unveil regulatory changes as soon as this week aimed at boosting the communist-run island’s entrepreneurial sector, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition they not be named before the announcement.
The move comes as the US seeks to conquer countries from the so-called Global South, such as Brazil, which have lifted its embargo on Cuba.
Climate protests in NYC draw thousands (Sunday)
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York City on Sunday to call for an end to fossil fuel use ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly, and urged President Joe Biden to do more to combat climate change.
The demonstrations attracted, among others, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actor Susan Sarandon, according to images posted by organizers on social media. Signs carried by protesters included messages such as “Youth vs. Fossil Fuels, Biden Chooses a Side,” according to photos posted on social media platform X.
–With help from Michael Nienaber, Ana Monteiro and Daniel Carvalho.
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