Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday highlighted China's support for the United Nations (UN) and the country's contributions to the organization in peacekeeping, poverty reduction and climate change at a forum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the resumption of its membership of the world body. 

On October 25, 1971, the 26th UN General Assembly adopted resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority of votes, restoring all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN and recognizing the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representative of China at the UN. 

As the world's largest developing country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China always honors the purposes and principles of the UN charter and promotes the spirit of multilateralism, Wang told the forum. 

Guardian of international order

Over the past 50 years, many Chinese people have been involved in UN undertakings and have witnessed, participated in and contributed to China's cooperation with the UN, Wang said.

He said China has set a good example in upholding the international order and is committed to democracy, the rule of law and equity in international relations.  

China proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as early as in the 1950s and has since faithfully observed them, contributing significantly to the formulation of the basic norms governing international relations, Wang said

According to Wang, since China resumed its membership of the UN, China has become a firm defender of international order which took part in almost every inter-governmental organization and signed more than 600 international treaties.

China has firmly safeguarded the UN-centered international system, upheld the international order underpinned by international law and bolstered the central role of UN in international affairs, he stressed.

Defender of world peace

China has honored its responsibility for safeguarding world peace, said the foreign minister. 

Having participated in 29 UN peacekeeping missions and sent a total of over 5,000 peacekeepers, China has become the largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping operation among the permanent members of the Security Council, he elaborated, adding that "we are also the second largest funding contributor to the UN and UN peacekeeping operation." 

So far, 24 Chinese military and police officers have given their lives in the line of duty, Wang said, adding that their sacrifice will always be remembered. 

China also set up an 8,000-troop peacekeeping standby force and a police squad of 300 for UN peacekeeping missions, he introduced.

Promoter of common development

Wang highlighted China's achievement in poverty alleviation in this regard.

He pointed out that, China, as the biggest developing country in the world, has met the poverty eradication target set in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule.

And as the world's second largest economy, China's contribution to world economic growth remains the highest, Wang added, stating that China has worked to foster greater synergy between its own development strategy and those of the rest of the world.

Contributor to tackling global challenges

Speaking of the issue, Wang reiterated that China's determination to work jointly with the international community in tackling global challenges such as the climate change and COVID-19 outbreak.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced last September at the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly that China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

While addressing the Climate Ambition Summit via video link in December last year, Xi announced that by 2030, China aims to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the 2005 level and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent, Wang said.

By mentioning that, Wang assured that China's as a responsible major country, will be committed to the Paris agreement and strive to promote sustainable development.

Regarding the spread of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, Wang underscored China's efforts in providing medical supply assistance for over 150 countries together with 13 international organizations.

Reiterating China's commitment to turning Chinese vaccines into a global public products, the Chinese foreign minister pledged that China will work actively to ensure the accessibility and affordability of the vaccines among developing countries.

(Cover: Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at the Lanting Forum with the theme "China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond" in Beijing, China, June 25, 2021. /Reuters)