China’s US envoy says world faces ‘stark choice’ as 2026 opens with instability

China’s top diplomat in the United States delivered a sharply worded rebuke on Thursday over US President Donald Trump’s tumultuous approach to global relations, laying out a stark choice between a world informed by China-led stability and one battered by Washington.

“We are just 15 days into the year 2026, but the year already has seen black swans and grey rhinos one after the other. Instability and uncertainty are raging all around,” Xie said. “Where will the world be heading? Humanity is facing a grave choice. Peace or war. Openness or isolation. Cooperation or confrontation.”

Black swan and grey rhino events refer to highly improbable, unpredictable developments that carry widespread, far-reaching consequences.