China’s top diplomat Wang Yi called for “unity and the safeguarding of international justice” during a meeting with UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, urging a global front against the “law of the jungle” amid deepening geopolitical tensions.

During the talks in Beijing, Wang told Baerbock that multilateralism faced “severe challenges” from unnamed powers prioritising “might over right”, a veiled critique of Washington.

“Certain countries pursue a policy of ‘strength first,’ openly challenging the status and role of the United Nations,” Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Facing such “headwinds” and “bullying,” he said, meant the international community must “uphold the correct path of cooperation” rather than allowing the “law of the jungle to prevail”.

The meeting came as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its third month with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight. Iran imposed a retaliatory blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the US has subsequently choked the world’s oil supply, triggering a global energy crisis.

Wang, when noting that 2026 marked the 55th anniversary of China’s return to the world body, reiterated China’s position that Beijing was a “steadfast defender” of the UN-centred international system, and pledged support for Baerbock’s mandate.

He expressed “hope and confidence” that she would unify the 193 member states to uphold the core principle of “sovereign equality”.

Baerbock is presiding over the landmark 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a term that runs until September.