China's support for multilateralism is essential, says UN chief Antonio Guterres at key summit

On the sidelines of a key regional summit in China, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday that Beijing plays a crucial role in maintaining multilateralism.

"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," Guterres said, according to media reports.

The UN chief, who Xi welcomed to the Chinese port city of Tianjin, venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025, gave a veiled criticism of the US amid the challenges facing the United Nations.

He described the present state of multilateralism as under fire. "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 seems sometimes also mixed," Guterres said.

In response, President Xi said China would always be a “reliable partner” to the UN***.*** “China is willing to deepen cooperation with the United Nations, support its central role in international affairs, and jointly shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining world peace and promoting development and prosperity,” the Chinese leader said.

SCO summit comes amid shake-up in geopolitical order

Mr. Xi will be joined by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a number of Asian and Middle Eastern leaders for the two-day SCO conference, which Guterres is attending.

For the first time since 2018, India's Modi will be in China to attend the summit and as part of a rapprochement with Beijing that started late last year, but has been accelerated by US President Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on Indian goods. New Delhi is now believed to be looking for closer ties with Beijing and other Eurasian players.

The summit also takes place just a few days before a huge military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II, in which China defeated Japan.

According to Chinese state media, this year's gathering is the “largest-ever SCO summit in history”, which would be used for “charting the blueprint for the bloc’s next decade of development.”

The SCO was established by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan and later expanded to include members such as India, Iran, Pakistan, and Belarus.

Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states, and 14 other countries, mostly from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, serve as “dialogue partners.”

The country hosting the annual summit rotates every year.