US President Joe Biden, pictured addressing the UN General Assembly, attempted to smooth the waters by requesting a telephone call with his French counterpart
US President Joe Biden, pictured addressing the UN General Assembly, attempted to smooth the waters by requesting a telephone call with his French counterpart POOL / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

President Joe Biden told the United Nations on Tuesday that the U.S. is “opening a new era of relentless diplomacy.” Speaking before the General Assembly, Biden said the U.S. would work with other world powers to confront growing global threats.

At no point in the speech did Biden reference "China" or "Beijing." However, he carefully touched on authoritarian rule, as China and the U.S. have faced conflict over human rights issues and trade.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway was Biden's declaration that the U.S. is “not seeking a new Cold War.” He added the U.S. is willing to work with any nation that “pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges because we’ll all suffer the consequences of our failure.”

Biden discussed the need for foreign governments to “engage deeply with the rest of the world” and “work together with our partners toward a shared future,” adding that the U.S. must work together with its allies more than ever before.

Biden said he is focused on “ending the pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing the shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber and emerging technologies, and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today.”

Biden said he is seeking to double funds by 2024 to $11.4 billion per year to aid developing countries to deal with the fight against climate change. The comments come after Biden fulfilled his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement on his first day in office.

Tuesday's address was Biden’s first major foreign policy speech to world leaders since the G7 summit in June.

Biden had campaigned on restoring America’s international standing. On Tuesday, he defended U.S. foreign policy over the past eight months and that the U.S. has "prioritized rebuilding our alliances, revitalizing our partnerships and recognizing they’re essential and central to America’s enduring security and prosperity."

There were some strong reactions to the speech on social media.

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