The Security Council debate showed the UN’s central paradox: the world still needs the Charter-based system, but rising conflicts, great-power rivalry and blocked reform are testing its credibility.

Europe watches the Trump-Xi summit through trade, Ukraine, NATO and China’s leverage. For Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Rome and London, the question is whether diplomacy lowers tensions or shifts the cost onto Europe. By Ahmed Fathi New York, NY: President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing will be watched in Europe with a mix of relief and unease. Europe wants Washington and Beijing to talk. A U.S.-China trade war, a Taiwan crisis, or a technology

From Hormuz to Suez, the Middle East and North Africa are watching the Trump-Xi summit for the price of stability. The region wants open shipping lanes, lower U.S.-Iran tensions, protected Red Sea routes, stable energy prices, and room to work with both Washington and Beijing without becoming a bargaining table.

Japan and South Korea are watching the Trump-Xi summit through four linked concerns: Taiwan, North Korea, Hormuz, and the future of America’s alliance system in the Indo-Pacific. For Tokyo and Seoul, the issue is not only whether Washington and Beijing can stabilize relations, but whether that stability comes at the expense of allied confidence.

Trump’s expected summit with Xi places Taiwan, Iran, Hormuz, trade and technology at the center of the world’s most consequential power relationship.

China opened its May Security Council presidency with a push to defend the U.N. Charter while placing Gaza, Iran, Hormuz, Lebanon, Africa, and the next Secretary-General race at the center of a crowded Council agenda.

Bahrain’s push for a U.N. Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz collapsed after Russia and China vetoed the draft despite majority support. The failed vote exposed a deeper divide over Iran, maritime security, and who gets to define the crisis shaping one of the world’s most critical energy routes.

The UN Security Council will meet in emergency session Saturday after Russia and China requested urgent discussions on the reported attack on Iran by the United States and Israel. A second meeting requested by France, Bahrain and Colombia will address the broader escalation of violence across the Middle East.

At the UN in New York, Chinese artist Li Guiming introduced the ancient character Fu (福), meaning blessing. Through calligraphy, he linked heritage with global cooperation, showing how culture can become diplomacy. His work, Peace and Fu, reflects the spirit of the UN’s mission and the Sustainable Development Goals — reminding the world that peace and blessing go hand in hand.

The SCO Summit in Beijing brought together 20 world leaders, including Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Xi called for “genuine multilateralism,” Putin defended Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Modi urged unity against terrorism. The summit’s joint declaration condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, while Washington dismissed the meeting as “largely performative.