Beijing released a white paper on global governance on the same day as the signing of an agreement aimed at ending the US war on Iran. The coincidence is ironic. The white paper issued by the State Council, along with remarks at the launch by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, affirms the place of the United Nations at the core of international peace and security. But the United States has justified attacking Iran without UN support and President Donald Trump previously accused the UN of failing to live up to its potential for resolving disputes.

Lack of faith in the world body is regrettable. The UN is an established multilateral system for settling international disputes. The US was instrumental in establishing it after the second world war. Its performance has been far from perfect, but it remains the only universally recognised mechanism for preventing disputes from escalating.

In the white paper, outlining its vision for reforming the global system and upholding multilateralism, Beijing said it would continue to defend the “central” role of the UN in global governance. At the same time, it held itself out as a champion of rule-making for new frontiers, including artificial intelligence and outer space. It called for a “more just and equitable” world order as humanity navigates “dangerous waters”.

The policy document, called “More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions”, said China saw no need to fully rebuild or replace the existing international system but supported changes that were “more compatible and aligned” with realities today.

Unveiling the white paper at a press conference, Wang warned that the international system had been disrupted by multiple crises, leaving global governance at a critical crossroads.

“As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, we need to reinvigorate multilateralism, uphold rules and the rule of law and improve the effectiveness of governance more than ever,” he said.