China escapes unscathed following world leaders UN summit: ‘Exhaustion has set in’

World leaders stepped away from the United Nations General Assembly with a sense of exhaustion but without any major breakthroughs or acrimonious disputes, as Chinese President Xi Jinping escaped unscathed.

Despite the heightened rhetoric leading up to the summit, China met with only mild criticism from some of the assembled countries — particularly the United States — for a variety of human rights concerns.

The main focus of the gathering was on UN reform and strengthening international peace and security. This was broken down into a series of technical questions, with countries divided over issues such as peacekeeping missions and the reform of the Security Council. No major deals were made and, as one source involved in the talks said, “exhaustion has set in”.

Xi received a warm welcome from the delegates, many of whom praised his efforts in international relations and his hosting of the Silk Road Forum, which promotes economic cooperation between countries.

The Chinese leader was also subject to some verbal criticism, but seemed to come out unscathed from the summit despite the heated rhetoric exhibited in the weeks leading up to the Assembly.

The relative lack of strife at the summit bodes well for the future of Chinese relations with the UN and with the world, and suggests a certain level of stability, even with the current tensions on the international stage.