October 25 marks the 50th anniversary of China's restoration of its lawful seat at the United Nations, but the 1971 breakthrough came after many years of diplomatic efforts.
As a founding member and one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in 1945, China's seat was still occupied by representatives of the Kuomintang in 1949, despite the end of KMT rule.
From 1950 to 1960, the U.S. used tactics to prohibit the People's Republic of China (PRC) from rejoining the UN, including setting up a special committee to postpone reviews on the restoration of China's seat. Under its manipulation, the UN Assembly repeatedly voted down related resolutions.
However, the U.S. influence was greatly offset by China's unremitting efforts and the support from a growing number of newly independent countries in Asia and Africa.
In 1961, the 16th UN General Assembly decided to put China's representation on its agenda. It was a breakthrough for China's efforts, but the U.S. didn't give up its plan to keep China out, proposing the issue as an "important question" that could only be decided with a two-third majority votes of the General Assembly.
In 1970, it finally had a majority within the General Assembly. A year later, a proposal by the U.S. to create what it called "two Chinas," or "one China and one Taiwan" in the UN was rejected outright by the Chinese foreign ministry.
"The countries of the world had been divided into two camps, the socialist camp and U.S.-led capitalist camp. China belonged to the socialist camp and the world organizations were primarily dominated by the so-called capitalist camp," Jia Qingguo, a professor at School of International Studies at Peking University said.
"In part because of the Cold War, and also in part because of the Korean War, China and United States became the so-called enemies. So the U.S. decided to support the Chiang Kai-shek regime to represent China at the UN and deny China its rightful seat, which lasted for a long time."
On October 25 of that year, China finally got the breakthrough it wanted. The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. It restored all rights to the PRC and recognized the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. China had waited 22 years.
From being shut out to resuming its lawful seat, and then to honoring its commitments for the past 50 years, China has been involved in the UN's undertakings and played an increasingly important role in the world body.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's speech said in June that China always honors the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and promotes the spirit and approach of multilateralism. The country has made continuous efforts to support the UN, especially in maintaining the international order, promoting common development, and addressing global challenges.
According to the foreign ministry, China currently contributes the largest number of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It has also provided nearly $62 billion in assistance to 166 countries and international organizations since, and is now taking action on climate change – by pledging to peak its CO2 emission before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
"China has also benefited a lot from being a part of the international system," Jia said. "About 10 years ago, Bob Zoellick, the undersecretary of U.S. state department, said China is a stakeholder of existing international order… China still has huge stakes in existing international order. It wants the order to be stable, and the world to be prosperous, and it endorses UN to play a larger role."
Following many early ups and downs within the UN, China finally found its feet on the international stage, and is keen to make a lasting and positive impact. The Chinese government says it will always stay true to its original aspirations, and is determined to connect more with the world.
(Cover photo: The United Nations headquarters in New York, United States. /CFP)