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The atmosphere of the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 is completely different from previous years. The podium is no longer polite diplomatic rhetoric, but head-on confrontation with conflicts。
The three presidents of Brazil, France and Colombia spoke in turn, pointing directly to U.S. President Trump. At the same time, China announced that it abandoned the special treatment of the WTO and became another focus of public opinion.
Brazil’s President Lula was the first to take office.He didn’t have the cold, starting with criticism of the United States’ abuse of unilateral sanctions, “some countries are trying to crush other countries’ economies in the name of freedom.”
Applause quickly sounded at the meeting. Lula also referred to the U.S. imposing high tariffs on Brazilian iron ore as “trade bullying.”According to the Brazilian Treasury, Brazil has lost more than $4.2 billion in export revenue.
This is not only an economic loss, but also a statement of position. Lula took this opportunity to put forward the concept of "Global South" and emphasized that developing countries should have a greater say in the international order.
He brought a long-accumulated grievance to the podium of the United Nations and shaped Brazil as an alternative leader. This statement won the response of many representatives of developing countries.
French President Macron, who followed closely behind, had an equally sharp tone.He did not say Trump’s name directly, but said the United Nations “should not be weakened by certain countries.”
He stressed that European countries should independently assume international responsibilities, and announced during the sideline meeting that France officially recognized the Palestinian state, and at the same time proposed a phased peace plan.The French public opinion generally believes that this is not only an attitude towards the Israeli issue, but also a direct response to the United States.
Macron’s remarks were not a momentary outcry, but a continuation of France and the EU’s long-standing pursuit of strategic autonomy. Under Trump’s “America Priority” policy, European nations have long been alert.The public recognition of the Palestinian state is actually declaring by action that Europe is not willing to be abducted by the United States in Middle East and global affairs anymore.
If Lula and Macron's speeches are diplomatic signals, then Colombian President Petro's words are even more violent. He not only criticized the U.S. “drog-fighting military operation” that caused serious civilian casualties, but also called for a criminal investigation against Trump in Congress.
Petro, citing investigative data, said the U.S. military was not fully authorized by the local government in the Caribbean operation, but failed to fight vessels suspected of smuggling, resulting in civilian deaths.
His question is striking: "Does the United States still regard Latin America as its backyard?"Colombia has long been the core ally of the United States in Latin America, but now in public "turns the face", its symbolic meaning far beyond the event itself.
The three presidents "opened fire" one after another to send a signal together, The U.S. says that the era has passed.Trump subsequently took office, and he chose to react in a harsher way.
The 57-minute speech was the longest for a U.S. president to speak at the U.S. General Assembly in 20 years, but instead of being a diplomatic statement, it was an extension of a campaign speech.
Trump claims the “global economy has grown because of the United States” and also criticizes the United Nations for being “abused.”CNN subsequently checked and found a number of misrepresentations and exaggerations.
Trump has quoted some European countries as acknowledging the Palestinian state as “a mistake.” He also accused South American countries of "dereliction of duty" on the drug issue, and even said that "Brazil's export policy threatens American workers".These statements not only do not mitigate contradictions, but rather seem to anger opponents.
The live reaction to this speech was better explained.When Lula, Macron, and Petro spoke, applause came and even delegates stood up and greeted. And when Trump spoke, there was a lot of silence at the venue, with only a handful of traditional allies symbolically applauding.The U.S. still has a strong hard power, but soft power, that is, the ability of others to cooperate, is declining rapidly.
What makes Trump even more embarrassed is that he claimed that he suffered three technical damages during his speech, including microphone distortion and signal interruption. He accused someone of deliberate interference and asked the United Nations to investigate.
But the United Nations slowed down, saying it was mostly caused by technical issues or by the US delegation itself.The inscription further highlights Trump’s isolation on the diplomatic stage.
Just as the war of words in the West was fierce, the Chinese representative announced, Voluntarily give up "special and differential treatment" in the WTO.This move by China does not render the atmosphere, but leaves the public opinion instantly boiling.
The so-called special treatment is a preferential policy given to developing countries, such as longer transitional periods and lower tariff concessions. China has benefited a lot in the past two decades, but with its economy climbing to the world’s second place, the United States has been accusing China of being “cheap”.Trump has repeatedly called for the WTO to re-recognize China.
China’s move is equivalent to removing disputes ahead of time, the WTO Director-General welcomed after the meeting, calling it an important milestone in promoting multilateral trade reform.
China emphasizes that while retaining its status as a developing country, it will no longer demand special preferences.In other words, China will rely on strength rather than preferential policies to compete.
Such practices are extremely rare on the international stage. It not only responds to external doubts, but also reshapes China's international image. Different from the withdrawal and unilateralism of the United States, China chooses to show its responsibility within the institutional framework.
More importantly, this action is consistent with China’s economic reality that by 2024, China’s GDP per capita has surpassed $15,000, close to the level of medium-developed countries.
This does not mean that China wants to decouple from developing countries. On the contrary, China hopes to set an example through this "self-reduction treatment" method and drive the global South to jointly promote the modernization of rules. This is another style of leadership, which is in stark contrast to the loud confrontation in the venue.
From the perspective of the entire conference, the two directions are clearly divided: on the one hand, the presidents of the three countries openly challenge the United States, striking its hegemony and distrust; on the other hand, China demonstrates the transformation of the great powers with low-level but critical actions.
This unusual scene reveals the possible future direction.If the United States continues to act unilaterally, it will face the risk of accelerating isolation; if China adheres to robust and pragmatic practices, it may gain more initiative in global governance.
The world is changing, and the real importance is not who is the strongest, but who is most needed.
References:
Opening of the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly 2025-09-24 05:40 PM
Ministry of Commerce: China announces that it will not seek new special and differential treatment of the WTO and will bring new opportunities and new impetus to global economic and trade cooperation 2025-09-24 13:47
3. "Trump accused China and India at the United Nations General Assembly, and China responded" 2025-09-24 16:52 | Source: People's Daily