China's Wang Yi Chairs UN Security Council Meeting, Criticizes US Unilateralism

Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, chaired a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting on May 26, 2026, in New York, leveraging China's rotating presidency to push a sweeping agenda for revitalizing the UN-centered international system. Representatives from over 100 countries attended the session, which also featured a briefing by Secretary-General António Guterres.

Wang Yi proposed five areas for UN revitalization: upholding the UN Charter's leadership, strengthening the Security Council's authority, advancing international development cooperation, enhancing global governance platforms, and improving the overall effectiveness of the UN system. He called for increased representation of developing and small-to-medium-sized countries at institutions like the IMF and World Bank, and urged the establishment of institutional guardrails for artificial intelligence.

Wang Yi sharply criticized the United States, accusing it of withholding approximately $2 billion in UN dues and withdrawing from 31 UN entities and 35 other international organizations. He condemned unilateral military actions that bypass the Security Council, referencing the US war in Iran, and opposed efforts to replace the UN with what he described as Donald Trump's "Board of Peace." He argued that the Security Council has been absent on major hot-spot issues and that reinvigorating the council is essential to reinvigorating the UN as a whole.

Guterres attended the meeting and reaffirmed the UN's adherence to the one-China principle under General Assembly Resolution 2758, stating there is no room for ambiguity. In a separate bilateral meeting, Guterres commended China's support for peacekeeping and sustainable development. Wang Yi also held discussions with US strategic and business representatives on the sidelines. The meeting coincided with the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China's lawful UN seat. China plans to host a Group of Friends of Global Governance meeting on May 29 and a global governance forum in Xiongan in the autumn.