Biden tells UN assembly that America is ready for 'relentless diplomacy'

U.S. President Joe Biden used his first address before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to declare that the world stands and at an "inflection point in history" and must move quickly and co-operatively to address the festering issues of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and human rights abuse.

Without mentioning China directly, Biden acknowledged increasing concerns about rising tensions between the two economic and military powers. But he said, "We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocks."

The president noted his decision to end America's longest war last month, in Afghanistan, and set the table for his administration to shift U.S. attention to intensive diplomacy with no shortage of crises facing the globe. He said he is driven by a belief that "to deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world."

"We've ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan," Biden said. "And as we close this period of relentless war, we're opening a new era of relentless diplomacy of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world."

Biden, who arrived in New York on Monday evening to meet with Secretary General Antonio Guterres ahead of Tuesday's address, offered a full-throated endorsement of the body's relevance and ambition at a difficult moment in history, a glaring difference with the speech given two years ago by former U.S. president Donald Trump.

Seeking to draw contrasts with his predecessor, Biden spoke about revitalizing alliances around the world, stressing U.S. support for NATO's mission in Europe as well as reaffirming its desire to work closely with the European Union and the countries in its Quad group: Australia, India and Japan.

"We will stand up for our allies and our friends," he said.