President Xi Jinping Meets with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

On the afternoon of July 17, 2026, President Xi Jinping met with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who is in China for the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, at the Xijiao State Guest Hotel in Shanghai.

President Xi noted that, over the past 10 years as Secretary General, Mr. Guterres has led the U.N. in firmly defending multilateralism, tackling global challenges like climate change, advancing governance in emerging areas such as AI, and kickstarting U.N. reform, which China highly commends. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the U.N. Since then, China has remained a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order, and has always been a staunch supporter of the U.N. I have put forth the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives, and one important consideration is to uphold the status and authority of the U.N. China will, as always, deepen cooperation with the U.N. to advance world peace and development and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Xi stressed that the world today is witnessing greater transformation and turbulence, making it all the more necessary to practice true multilateralism and revitalize the status and role of the U.N. First, we should uphold fairness and justice. Every country is an equal member of the international community, and the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and legitimate rights and interests of all countries must be respected. The world must not return to the law of the jungle. Second, we should uphold principles and break new ground. Upholding principles means honoring the purposes of the U.N. Charter and safeguarding the international system and rules established after World War II. Breaking new ground means encouraging the U.N. to adapt to the changing times, embrace self-reform, and further improve its efficiency. Third, we should step forward and assume our responsibilities. As the 190-plus countries in the world are in the same ship with their future tied together, we must work together and rise to global challenges in a spirit of solidarity. Major countries should shoulder greater responsibilities and demonstrate a broader vision. China has been taking concrete steps to actively explore the right way for major countries to get along with each other in the new era, with a view to bringing more stability and certainty to the world.

Secretary General Guterres said that under the strong leadership of President Xi, China has remained a firm supporter of multilateralism and the U.N.’s endeavors, and a driving force for international cooperation—no matter how difficult or complex the international circumstances may be, setting an example for the world. China has always been a champion in addressing development imbalances, tackling climate change, developing AI for good, closing the development gap, and upholding fairness and justice, and has also put forward a series of major visions and initiatives. This is truly admirable. The U.N. will continue to strengthen cooperation with China, resist unilateralism, protectionism, and domineering and bullying practices, uphold the U.N. Charter and international law, advance world multipolarity, and safeguard the common interests of the international community.

Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi and Chen Jining attended the meeting.