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SCO Summit: Amid US tariff war, UN calls on China to stabilise the World Order
China will always be a “reliable partner” to the UN for “stability and certainty”, Xi Jinping tells UN Chief Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of SCO Summit.
China's role in upholding multilateralism is fundamental, according to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, at a time when the global order is getting warped by a US tariff war.
"In this moment in which multilateralism is under fire, the support of China is an extremely important element to preserve," Guterres told Chinese President on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. “We see new forms of policy that are sometimes difficult to understand, that sometimes look more like a show than the serious diplomatic efforts and in which business and politics seem sometimes also mixed.”
“The role of the People's Republic of China as a fundamental pillar of the multilateral system is extremely important and we are extremely appreciative and grateful for that.”
Xi, in turn, said China would always be a “reliable partner” to the UN and continue to provide “stability and certainty”.
“China is willing to deepen cooperation with the United Nations, supports its central role in international affairs, and jointly shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining world peace and promoting development and prosperity,” Xi told Guterres at the SCO Summit.
Xi and Guterres are in China's port city of Tianjin for the SCO Summit, which is likely to see participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and leaders from all across Asia in a powerful show of Global South solidarity.
Modi In China
Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi arrived in China for the first time in over seven years. He is scheduled to hold to bilateral talks with Xi Jinping, in what can be seen as yet another step to normalise India-China relations.
The thaw, as well as the SCO Summit, comes even as US President Donald Trump imposed the highest 50% tariff on India, crippling exports textiles to jewellery worth $248 billion/year. That came about due to India's purchase of Russian crude, which Trump says is fuelling Moscow's war in Russia.
With inputs from Reuters.
