Summary
President Xi Jinping met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Shanghai Xijiao State Guest House on the afternoon of 17 July 2026. Guterres was in China for the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on AI Global Governance. Xi praised Guterres' contributions over the past decade in leading the UN to firmly defend multilateralism and promote global AI governance, stressing that China will continue to support the UN.
Guterres said China's firm support for multilateralism sets an example for the world. Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi, and Chen Jining attended the meeting.
Commentary
The meeting between President Xi and UN Secretary-General Guterres on the sidelines of the World AI Conference underscored commitments to multilateralism and UN reform. For New Zealand small and medium-sized enterprises, a stable multilateral trading system remains critical; rising protectionism could weigh on dairy and meat exports. Fragmented global AI governance rules would increase compliance costs for tech products entering markets such as China.
New Zealand AI startups should monitor standard developments and explore opportunities in technology service trade under the upgraded NZ-China FTA.
Keywords: Xi Jinping, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, meeting, multilateralism, AI global governance, community with shared future for mankind, UN reform, Shanghai Xijiao State Guest House, World AI Conference
Source: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand
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