China pushes to fill Trump’s void across range of U.N. activities

Chinese leader Xi Jinping skipped the United Nations General Assembly during his U.S. visit this week. That doesn’t mean Beijing is neglecting the world body. On the contrary, it’s been deepening its influence across the U.N., an effort now made easier as U.S.

President Donald Trump pulls back from the multilateral system. China is carrying out its campaign through lower-profile agencies that set standards in some of the most controversial areas, including artificial intelligence, where a global debate is raging between advocates of a laissez-faire approach and those pushing for stronger guardrails.