Trump-Xi meeting outside UNGA spotlight tests world body's clout - analysis

While world leaders gather at the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet at the White House on Thursday, sidestepping the UN forum. The split-screen moment raises questions about the UN's relevance as it faces deep financial problems, major-power divisions, and limited influence over global conflicts. Trump has pulled the US from dozens of UN agencies and slashed contributions, pushing the organization toward bankruptcy. The UN cut its Secretariat budget by 9.2% for 2026 and laid off thousands of staff.

While world leaders gather at the United Nations for their annual diplomatic ritual, the two biggest power brokers in global politics will sit down in a different venue on Thursday: the White House. US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet for the second time this year, hoping to keep the world's most consequential bilateral relationship steady as both leaders grapple with a host of domestic and global issues. The split-screen moment highlights an existential question for the UN: does the world body, established after the calamity of two world wars, still matter? While UN delegates discuss 'multilateralism' and hold panels on the world's conflicts, Trump and Xi – what the US president calls the 'G2' – will talk AI, trade, and defense. 'It's pretty notable that Xi Jinping is coming to Washington in the same week as the General Assembly, but does not feel bothered to come up to New York,' said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group. The questions about the UN's role have acquired fresh urgency as the organization struggles with deep financial problems, divisions among major powers and limited influence over conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. The UN has a persistent budget shortfall, forcing it to cut the budget of its Secretariat by 9.2% for 2026. It laid off thousands of staff, sent peacekeepers home, and cut back on humanitarian and human rights work. The Trump administration last week paid $725 million for the regular budget, preserving its vote at the assembly, but still owes $1.3 billion to the regular budget and $2.9 billion for peacekeeping operations. Outgoing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a reform task force last year, known as UN80, which seeks to cut costs, remove duplication, and improve efficiency. It includes a 21% reduction in posts at the Secretariat. For all the criticism of the UN, its annual meeting remains a forum for high-volume diplomacy, with member states planning more than 1,000 bilateral meetings this week.