The selection process for the next UN Secretary-General, who will take office at the start of 2027, is now underway. A final candidate is to be recommended by the 15-member Security Council, which includes the five permanent members with veto power, before all UN member states cast the vote.

China, one of the P5 and a longstanding supporter of the United Nations, has been hosting meetings between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the candidates in Beijing. Since June, four of the six contenders have visited the Chinese capital.

On Tuesday, Wang met María Fernanda Espinosa at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Espinosa, the former Foreign and Defense Minister of Ecuador, is one of five candidates from Latin America, and one of four women in the race.