The U.S. representative to the United Nations and Cuba's foreign minister had a heated exchange of words on the floor of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, prompting the assembly president to briefly suspend the meeting.
The clash erupted during a meeting of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.
U.S. representative to the UN Michael Waltz defended U.S. policies and blamed the island nation's economic hardship on its own government, saying that the United States does not blockage Cuba.
The Cuban delegate voiced loud objections from the floor, accusing Maltz of procedure violence and prompting calls for a point of order. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stood up to demand intervention. The situation escalated rapidly as Waltz responded fiercely and shouted at the Cuban officials.
"I am the representative of the United States of America. Back up! Back up, ambassador! Back away. This is not Havana," Waltz shouted from the podium.
With decorum fracturing, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman stepped in, declaring the meeting suspended.
When the meeting resumed, Rodriguez was granted the floor on a procedural matter. He launched a sharp rebuke of the U.S. envoy, accusing him of disrespecting the UN General Assembly, its members, and the Cuban government and people.
"Thank you, President. According to Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure, I request you to ask the U.S. representative to observe meeting order. He is not only rudely and arrogantly lying, but he is also disrespecting the dignity of the United Nations General Assembly and its member states, placing pressure and insulting the dignity of the Cuban people and government. Mr. Waltz, you are lying again," Rodriguez said.
Following the resumption, Waltz continued his remarks criticizing the Cuban government, which triggered further procedural interruptions and accusations from the Cuban delegation of Waltz' lying.
General Assembly suspends briefly after US, Cuban UN envoys involved in verbal clash
General Assembly suspends briefly after US, Cuban UN envoys involved in verbal clash
General Assembly suspends briefly after US, Cuban UN envoys involved in verbal clash
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core keeps tightening the "cage of institutions" in Party building, which provides strong guarantees for advancing the cause of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress held in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core included tightening Party discipline into the integrated plan on Party building in the new era, coordinating efforts to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to be corrupt.
Full and rigorous Party self-governance has been continuously extended to the grassroots level.
In 2024, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision started a nationwide campaign on addressing misconduct and corruption directly affecting the public.
Ping'an Village in Longquanyi District of Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, recently completed constructions of new drainage outlets and ditches, and now heavy rain no longer disrupts traveling of the locals. The fund for the constructions was recovered from money that was embezzled by village officials.
"The money was recovered, and now the problem of rainwater accumulation has been solved. And the environment is getting better and better," said villager Wang Yuangang.
Since 2012, the Party has formulated or revised an unprecedented number of internal regulations, building a comprehensive framework of rules to confine power in "a cage of institutions".
"Why establishing rules? Fundamentally, it is to ensure that Party members and officials always keep in mind who they are, for whom they work, and on whom they rely," said Song Wei, researcher with the Institute for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Tsinghua University.
"We must uphold the principle that everyone is equal before rules and regulations, no one enjoys privileges in terms of compliance, and no exceptions are allowed in their enforcement, thus making sure that rules and regulations truly become live 'high-voltage lines'," said Li Li, deputy head of the School of Discipline Inspection and Supervision of China University of Political Science and Law.
Xi also launched an unprecedented anti-corruption storm that has swept every corner of public office, netting both high-ranking "tigers" and lower-level "flies". The anti-corruption campaign has continued unabated, with Xi stressing that the fight is an ongoing endeavor.
From January to September this year alone, discipline inspection and supervisory authorities filed more than 800,000 cases, including those against 73 officials at provincial and ministerial level or above, with 680,000 people receiving punishment, including 105 officials at provincial and ministerial level or above.
"The fight against corruption in the new era has been unprecedentedly forceful with clear effects. At the same time, we must recognize that the fight against corruption remains severe and complex, and the task of eradicating the breeding grounds and conditions for corruption remains arduous. Experience has taught us that anti-corruption is a major political endeavor that we cannot afford to lose and must never lose. We cannot pause for even a moment, nor can we retreat a single step. We must carry the anti-corruption fight through to the end," said Sun Songtao, deputy director of the case supervision and management office of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision.
CPC keeps tightening "cage of institutions" in Party building
