Chinese President Xi Jinping met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Shanghai on Friday.
Guterres arrived in Shanghai on Thursday to attend the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, and delivered a speech at the event's opening ceremony on Friday morning.
Xi spoke highly of Guterres' work since he was appointed UN secretary-general 10 years ago, which included leading the UN in firmly upholding multilateralism, addressing global challenges such as climate change, advancing global governance in emerging fields including AI, and launching the UN reform process.
Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the UN, Xi said China has since been committed to building world peace, contributing to global development, defending international order, and firmly supporting the UN.
Xi added that he proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives with one important consideration in mind -- to uphold the status and authority of the UN.
Currently, the international landscape is marked by more pronounced changes and turbulence, making it all the more necessary to practice true multilateralism and reinvigorate the status and role of the UN, Xi said.
Xi stressed the importance of upholding fairness and justice, saying that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and legitimate rights and interests of every country must be respected.
The world must never be allowed to return to the law of the jungle, he said.
Xi also called for safeguarding the international system and international rules established after the end of World War II, while promoting reform and improvement of the UN to enable it to better adapt to changing times.
Major countries should shoulder greater responsibilities, Xi said, adding that China has consistently taken concrete actions to explore the right way for major countries to get along with one another, injecting greater stability and certainty into the world. Guterres said that under the strong leadership of Xi, no matter how difficult or complex the international situation is, China has always firmly supported multilateralism and the UN cause, and promoted international cooperation, setting an example for the world.
He added that China has always been committed to addressing development imbalances, tackling climate change, promoting AI for good, bridging development gaps, and upholding fairness and justice, and has put forward a series of significant visions and initiatives, which is truly admirable.
The UN will continue to strengthen its cooperation with China to oppose unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonic bullying, uphold the UN Charter and international law, advance the world's multi-polarization process, and safeguard the common interests of the international community.
Xi meets UN chief in Shanghai
