Chinese FM to chair UN Security Council meeting in New York

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit New York City and Canada this week in a diplomatic tour expected to pave the way for a future state visit by Xi Jinping to the United States and further improve ties between Beijing and Ottawa.

Wang will chair a high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on May 26 before traveling to Canada from May 28 to 30, South China Morning Post reports.

The New York visit comes less than two weeks after the Beijing summit between Xi and US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders projected a notably warm rapport and discussed a possible state visit by Xi to Washington in September as part of broader efforts to stabilize strained bilateral relations.

Wang confirmed last week that Xi would visit the United States in the autumn following Trump’s official invitation for talks on September 24. The trip would mark the first state visit by a Chinese leader to the United States since September 2015.

Wang’s role in chairing the Security Council session highlights Beijing’s ongoing effort to present itself as a defender of multilateralism, global stability, and the international order during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions.

The Security Council debate will focus on “upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centred international system,” according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

“We hope that parties will renew the lofty goals enshrined in the UN Charter, reiterate their firm commitments to multilateralism and unite closer together and step up to the responsibility to revitalise the status and role of the UN and put greater synergy for reforming and improving global governance,” Guo said.

He added that foreign ministers and senior representatives from multiple countries are expected to attend the session, while António Guterres will brief participants.

During his stay in New York, Wang is also expected to attend a meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance, a China-backed UN platform launched last year to promote Beijing’s Global Governance Initiative, which emphasizes sovereign equality and multilateral cooperation.

Following the US visit, Wang will travel to Canada at the invitation of Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand.

The trip comes months after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China in January, the first such visit by a Canadian leader since 2017, signaling efforts by both sides to repair relations after years of diplomatic tensions and expand economic cooperation beyond reliance on the US market.

By Vafa Guliyeva