While Xi and US President Donald Trump did not agree in Beijing to extend a fragile trade truce that expires later this year, Trump heaped praise on the Chinese leader and invited him to visit Washington in September.

“Let’s be clear, no major breakthrough was achieved and so the visit of President Xi to Washington gains an enormous importance,” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres told a press conference in Tokyo.

Xi’s visit in September coincides with the UN General Assembly, raising the possibility that the Chinese leader could address the gathering in person for the first time since 2015.

The UN chief welcomed that possibility but gave no indication about whether such plans were afoot.

Guterres previously warned that the UN faces “imminent financial collapse” due to unpaid dues, largely from the US, the world’s top contributor.

Those debts, across peacekeeping and regular budgets, amount to more than US$3 billion, Guterres said, adding that he would continue to insist Washington pay its dues and not ask countries like China and Japan to make up for shortfalls.