China v America: who is in charge?

The UN General Assembly convened an online summit to pledge billions for a coronavirus vaccine while explicitly excluding the Trump administration, which has concurrently halted funding to the World Health Organization and withdrawn from key international agreements. Amidst this diplomatic rift, China has steadily expanded its influence by securing leadership roles in UN agencies and utilizing veto power to block resolutions, prompting the U.S. State Department to deploy senior diplomats like Mark Lambert to counter these gains. Experts warn that without a reassertion of American global commitments and necessary institutional reforms, the rules-based liberal order faces significant erosion as the balance of power shifts toward an emerging Chinese-led alliance.