China highlights differences with US at UN

Vice President Han Zheng outlined Beijing's differences with the United States at the UN on Saturday, two days after the Trump and Xi summit, signaling sustained diplomatic friction.

"We must firmly safeguard the WTO-centred, rules-based multilateral trading system," Han said, and warned that "protectionism produces no winners," officials said. He opposed "unilateral military actions that violate the UN Charter and circumvent Security Council authorisation," calling instead for disputes to be settled through dialogue and consultation.

Han's UN address

Han framed the speech around sovereignty and collective security, defending an international order centred on the UN and an open global economy, officials said. He also urged the "relevant country" to stop using threats of force and to lift the blockade and sanctions against Havana, according to the address.

Security analysts said parts of Han's remarks appeared to allude to the February strikes on Iran that have heightened regional tensions; the speech drew attention because it came two days after high-profile meetings between the two presidents. Analysts also pointed to Beijing's actions along the Line of Actual Control and in the South China Sea as contrasting evidence for critics.

Beijing presented the remarks as a defence of multilateral institutions and global supply chains, while signalling that public diplomacy at the UN will remain a venue for contesting policy between the two powers, officials said.

Watch for any formal U.S. response at the General Assembly by October 1, 2026, when member states continue plenary business and country statements address trade and regional security.