Why Xi Jinping skipped the UN after his Trump summit
Han Zheng, China’s vice-president, called on “major countries” to respect the sovereignty and security of Middle Eastern nations and bring about a two-state solution for the “Palestinian question” on Saturday at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in an implicit dig at the US and Israel. This came as some analysts questioned why Chinese President Xi Jinping opted not to address the global body given…
Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the UN General Assembly (UNGA) after his three-day summit with US President Donald Trump, despite the proximity between Washington and Beijing and China's longstanding assertions on the UN's importance. Han Zheng, China's vice-president, called on major countries to respect the sovereignty and security of Middle Eastern nations and support a two-state solution for the "Palestinian question" at the UN, seemingly referencing the US and Israel.
Analysts questioned Xi's decision, with some suggesting it was a missed opportunity to strengthen China's global influence. China has traditionally represented itself at the UN through senior officials like Han and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, prioritizing its relations with Washington over multilateral issues. The recent decline in US favorability and the growth in China's soft power rankings may have influenced Xi's choice, but it remains unclear what extent his actions contributed to this shift.
Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
