Xi warns APEC against Cold War redux in wake of AUKUS

Singapore's Lee urges digital integration as Vietnam's Phuc talks sustainability

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech to the APEC CEO Summit, stressing that "openness and inclusiveness" are key to the region's continued growth. © Xinhua via AP

KENTARO IWAMOTO and MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writers

November 11, 2021 13:26 JST

SINGAPORE/BANGKOK -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday delivered a thinly veiled rebuke to U.S.-led alliance-building in the Asia-Pacific, warning against a Cold War "relapse."

In a prerecorded 15-minute speech to the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit, attended by several national leaders, Xi said the region "cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era."