Xi at G20: Drawing Ideological Lines Obstructs Advancement of Humankind

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a press event to introduce the new members of the Chinese Politburo at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2017. (AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a press event to introduce the new members of the Chinese Politburo at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2017. (AP)
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Xi at G20: Drawing Ideological Lines Obstructs Advancement of Humankind

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a press event to introduce the new members of the Chinese Politburo at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2017. (AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a press event to introduce the new members of the Chinese Politburo at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2017. (AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday asked the G20 wealthy nations to contain the fallout from interest rate hikes, as the US Federal Reserve moves aggressively to fight inflation.

He also cautioned that drawing ideological lines obstructs the advancement of humankind.

"We must contain global inflation and resolve systematic risks in the economy and finance," Xi told a summit of the 20 major economies taking place in Bali.

"Developed economies should reduce the negative spillover effects of their monetary policy adjustments and stabilize debts at a sustainable level," he said.

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to their highest level since before the 2008 financial crisis as it seeks to tighten money supply in an effort to wrestle back inflation.

The US monetary stance has pushed the dollar up to levels not seen in two decades, causing distress for developing economies that rely on exports or that are trying to curb inflation themselves.

Xi, on only his second overseas trip since the pandemic, was addressing the summit a day after meeting US President Joe Biden.

The talks with Biden were strikingly friendly, with the two leaders both indicating they would like to ease tensions that have soared in recent months.

The White House said that Xi and Biden agreed against any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, as the United States seeks to encourage distance between Beijing and its nominal ally in Moscow.

"We must firmly oppose politicization, instrumentalization and weaponization of food and energy problems," Xi said.

He also repeated his familiar opposition to Western sanctions and warned against aggravating differences among countries.

"Drawing ideological lines and stirring up opposition among political blocs and factions will only divide the world and obstruct the advancement of humankind," he said.



Vatican Says It Will Not Participate in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ 

Pope Leo XIV speaks after leading a Mass during a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido, Rome, Italy, February 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Pope Leo XIV speaks after leading a Mass during a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido, Rome, Italy, February 15, 2026. (Reuters)
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Vatican Says It Will Not Participate in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ 

Pope Leo XIV speaks after leading a Mass during a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido, Rome, Italy, February 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Pope Leo XIV speaks after leading a Mass during a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido, Rome, Italy, February 15, 2026. (Reuters)

The Vatican ‌will not participate in US President Donald Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" initiative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's top diplomatic official, said on Tuesday while adding that efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations.

Pope Leo, the first US pope and a critic of some of Trump's policies, was invited to join the board in January.

Under Trump's Gaza plan that led to a fragile ceasefire in October, the board was meant to supervise Gaza's temporary governance. Trump thereafter said the board, with him as chair, would ‌be expanded to ‌tackle global conflicts.

The board will hold its ‌first ⁠meeting in Washington ⁠on Thursday to discuss Gaza's reconstruction.

Italy and the European Union have said their representatives plan to attend as observers as they have not joined the board.

The Holy See "will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States," Parolin said.

"One concern," he said, "is that ⁠at the international level it should above all ‌be the UN that manages ‌these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted."

The ⁠Gaza truce has been repeatedly violated with hundreds of Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since it began in October.

Israel's assault on Gaza has killed over 72,000, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza's entire population.

Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.

Leo has repeatedly decried conditions in Gaza. The pope, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, rarely joins international boards. The Vatican has an extensive diplomatic service and is a permanent observer at the United Nations.


Poland Bars Chinese-Made Cars from Military Sites Over Data Security Fears 

A soldier from the 18th Mechanized Division stands guard on a Light Strike Vehicle "Zmija" during a media tour organized by the country's military to demonstrate the security measures on the Polish Belarusian border, near Bialowieza, Poland, January 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A soldier from the 18th Mechanized Division stands guard on a Light Strike Vehicle "Zmija" during a media tour organized by the country's military to demonstrate the security measures on the Polish Belarusian border, near Bialowieza, Poland, January 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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Poland Bars Chinese-Made Cars from Military Sites Over Data Security Fears 

A soldier from the 18th Mechanized Division stands guard on a Light Strike Vehicle "Zmija" during a media tour organized by the country's military to demonstrate the security measures on the Polish Belarusian border, near Bialowieza, Poland, January 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A soldier from the 18th Mechanized Division stands guard on a Light Strike Vehicle "Zmija" during a media tour organized by the country's military to demonstrate the security measures on the Polish Belarusian border, near Bialowieza, Poland, January 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Poland has barred Chinese-made vehicles from entering military facilities due to concerns their onboard sensors could be used to collect sensitive data, the Polish Army said on Tuesday evening.

The army said in ‌a statement ‌that such vehicles ‌may ⁠still be allowed onto ⁠secured sites if specified functions are disabled and other safeguards required under each facility's security rules are in place.

To ⁠limit the risk ‌of ‌exposing confidential information, the military has ‌also banned connecting company ‌phones to infotainment systems in vehicles manufactured in China.

The restrictions do not apply ‌to publicly accessible military locations such as hospitals, ⁠clinics, ⁠libraries, prosecutors' offices or garrison clubs, the army said.

It added that the measures are precautionary and align with practices used by NATO members and other allies to ensure high standards of protection for defense infrastructure.


Starmer, Trump discussed Russia-Ukraine, Iran after Geneva Talks, Downing Street Says 

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, Britain. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, Britain. (Reuters)
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Starmer, Trump discussed Russia-Ukraine, Iran after Geneva Talks, Downing Street Says 

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, Britain. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, Britain. (Reuters)

British ‌Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night about US-mediated Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Geneva, as well as talks between the US and Iran on ‌their nuclear ‌dispute, a Downing Street ‌spokesperson ⁠said.

Starmer also discussed ⁠Gaza with Trump and stressed on the importance of securing further access for humanitarian aid, the spokesperson said.

Negotiators ⁠from Ukraine and ‌Russia ‌concluded the first of two days ‌of the US-mediated ‌peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with Trump pressing Kyiv to act fast ‌to reach a deal.

Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister ⁠Abbas ⁠Araqchi said Tehran and Washington reached an understanding on Tuesday on "guiding principles" aimed at resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute, but that did not mean a deal is imminent.