73rd UNGA president highlights China's pivotal role in global peace, development

Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, president of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has underscored China's significant impact on global peace and sustainable development.

Espinosa emphasized the "crucial" contributions of China to the international landscape, particularly in addressing contemporary global challenges and fostering multilateral cooperation.

The former UNGA president made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua during her recent trip to the UN headquarters in New York.

Espinosa remarked, "China is a central actor. It has a very important role in the current geopolitics." She elaborated on China's leadership in the areas of developmental finance and peace building, emphasizing, "China has understood the important role that it has, not only on the world of the right to development and financing for development, but in the role of peace building and peacemaking and building a world that is safer for all of us."

She highlighted China's proactive engagement in environmental initiatives, stating, "If you look at efforts on renewable energies, I think that China occupies a central space."

Espinosa also commended China for its role in enhancing global solidarity and cooperation, noting, "When we speak about solidarity and cooperation, China has shown its very, very important and leading role in promoting solidarity and cooperation around the world."

She acknowledged China's constructive contributions to discussions on improving the multilateral system, adding, "I think that I have heard and followed China having a very constructive role saying, yes, we need to improve the system."

Concluding her views on China's influential global presence, Espinosa expressed her belief in China's essential role in fostering global peace and harmony, stating, "I think that if we are to build a peaceful world, if we are to build a prosperous world based on sustainable development, if we are to build a peaceful coexistence among nations, China has a central, critical, important role to play."