Senior Chinese diplomat meets UN Deputy Secretary-General

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that China has always firmly supported the cause of the UN as a founding member. China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, no matter where China is in history or what stage of development China has reached.

China firmly supports the central role of the UN in international affairs, firmly advocates and practices genuine multilateralism, and firmly upholds the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang said.

Wang said that China has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative to address the deficits in peace, development, security and governance that the world is facing today. He said this is a response to the most common and urgent aspirations of developing countries and reflects China's responsibility as the largest developing country.

"Development is our common cause," said Wang, adding, "China is ready to strengthen collaboration with all UN agencies and work for the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on time."

Mohammed thanked China for its firm support for the cause of the UN and said that the two sides have carried out in-depth cooperation in areas such as maintaining peace and promoting development.

The UN appreciates and supports China's important initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, said Mohammed. "In the face of many global challenges, we must adhere to multilateral partnerships and look to China for leadership to jointly find solutions."

Mohammed also expressed her hope for strengthened cooperation with China on sustainable development, fighting climate change, desertification prevention and control, digital innovation and other fields.