Beijing pivotal defender of multilateralism, says official

As the world's second-largest economy, the second-largest contributor to the United Nations budget and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is an important contributor and defender of multilateralism, a senior UN official has said.

Liu Zhenmin, under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs of the UN, said the world is looking forward to greater support from the Chinese government to the world body.

Over the past 50 years since the restoration of China's seat at the UN, the country has been not only a beneficiary, but also an important contributor to the global system, Liu said.

The decision by the UN General Assembly to restore all legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN system was historic, he said.

"I think that has benefited not only China, but the world."

On Oct 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly at its 26th session adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. It decided to restore all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN and recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate UN representative of China.

The decision brought China into the already established UN-centered international system and laid a good foundation for China's opening-up to the outside world in 1978, Liu said, adding that the resumption of the seat helped China "have a wider relationship with all countries".

The decision also helped the UN achieve universality and endowed the world with a more balanced international system and a unified global market that facilitated globalization, he said.

Global collaboration

Speaking of changes the world is undergoing as a result of the pandemic, Liu said the most important lesson the world has learned from it is that any response to a global crisis requires global collaboration and coordination.

No country can live in isolation, Liu said, adding that the world would continue to be integrated, connected and globalized whatever foreign policy individual countries adopt. "I think for the world, for the United Nations… all expect that China will continue to be an important supporter for international cooperation, for the United Nations and for multilateralism."

Xinhua