Politio.com | China faces skeptics with UNGA pitch for global leader status, 23 Sep "concerns"

China's President Xi Jinping Zoomed into the U.N. General Assembly last year CROWING  about how his country had beaten Covid, opposed foreign military interventions[,] and led the way in advancing democracy and rule of law [trans. international norms?].

Since then, China has taken RUSSIA'S SIDE in the Ukraine war. It's menaced the democratic island of Taiwan and stamped out the vestiges of free rule in [British] Hong Kong. And its vaunted economy has sputtered due to its DRACONIAN zero-Covid strategy. No wonder DEMOCRACIES aren't so thrilled about Beijing MUCKING about The Global Order [trans. rules-based order?].
[...]
Instead, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will address the General Assembly -- though now RELEGATED to a WEEKEND TIME SLOT < wipes tears > -- to project an IMAGE [trans. icon?] of his boss [??] as a resolute global statesman with innovative solutions to the world's most intractable problems.

Expect Wang to lace his speech [24 Sep] with the usual bromides about "win-win cooperation," "inclusive growth" and a "people-centered approach" [trans. people before profit?] designed to portray Xi as a staunch defender of the U.N. system.

But that verbal SMOKESCREEN aims to mitigate international dismay about China's ALIGNMENT [trans. free trade?] with Russia's Ukraine INVASION, its abuses of Xinjiang [U*GHURS,] and its AGRESSIVE military intimidation of Taiwan [trans. G7 arms sales?].
[...]
Look for Wang to dole out some HONEY [trans. USD-denominated loans?] to the developing world while he SPRAYS VINEGAR  on what he referred to last month as U.S. "unilateralism and bullying."...

< wipes tears > memorable quotes
Express Tribune | Guterres to take up 'debt swaps' with IMF, WB, 11 Sep
IMF | Debt-for-Climate Swaps: Analysis, Design, and Implementation, 11 Aug
"partial debt relief operations conditional on debtor commitments to undertake ["]climate-related["] investments [capEx]" exchanged for creditors' ownership interest in public property
reference
What is a debt-for-equity swap?
selling the farm