NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden mapped out a new era of vigorous competition without cold war in his first United Nations address on Tuesday, promising restraint from the U.S. military and new commitments to cope with climate change.

The United States would help resolve crises from Iran to the Korean Peninsula to Ethiopia, Biden told the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering.

The world faces a “decisive decade,” he said, and leaders need to work together to fight a raging coronavirus pandemic, a warming planet and cyber threats. He said the United States would double its financial commitment on climate aid and spend $10 billion to fight hunger.

China urges Washington to stop "demonising" it during US official visit

Biden didn’t address America’s rising authoritarian competitor, China, directly but sprinkled implicit references to Beijing throughout his speech, as the United States butts heads with China in the Indo-Pacific and on trade and human rights issues. He said the United States will compete vigorously, economically and to push democratic systems and rule of law.

“We’ll stand up for our allies and our friends and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones, whether through changes to territory by force, economic coercion, technical exploitation or disinformation, but we’re not seeking - I’ll say it again, we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs,” he said.