Long-simmering tensions between the United States and China have hit a boiling point at the United Nations over the coronavirus pandemic, spotlighting Beijing's bid for greater multilateral influence in a challenge to Washington's traditional leadership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has accelerated his U.N. power play as U.S. President Donald Trump's disregard for international cooperation led to the United States quitting global deals on climate and Iran and leaving the U.N. Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization, diplomats say.
"There's definitely, in my mind, a battle for the soul of the U.N. going on," said a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Trump's "America First" policy has been "damaging because the Chinese have a sort of smooth assertion that they are the true multilateralists."