World leaders gathered in Beijing for a United Nations summit concluded their meetings this week, amidst concerns that China had attempted to influence the outcome. However, according to a senior Chinese official, China was able to escape unscathed from the summit, as exhaustion had set in.
The summit focused on China’s growing presence on the international stage, as well as its controversial economic and political policies.
Despite the heavy criticism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a conciliatory tone in his closing remarks, saying that “Looking at the high-level exchange of views over these days, I believe that the countries have better understood each other.”
Wang went on to say that, as a result of the meeting, the UN and China have made substantial progress in tackling their differences and have agreed to work together to jointly promote world peace and security.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also praised the talks, saying that “The UN summit was held in sincerity and openness and was a success”.
The consensus among many experts is that China was able to “hold its ground” against the criticism, leveraging its diplomatic capabilities and persuade the other world leaders that it is a responsible member of the international community.
Despite a few pointed barbs from the American delegation, which made the summit more tense than expected, no major disagreements have broken out. And even though some of China’s international critics remain unconvinced, it appears that China has avoided any major fallout or damage to its reputation.
In the end, the exhaustion of long and arduous negotiations appeared to take its toll, leading to a consensus between the numerous world leaders that was willing to compromise and move forward.
