China's UN envoy hailed as he leaves office

China's current top ambassador to the United Nations said he will leave office at the end of March.

"I will soon conclude my tour of duty as Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations," said Zhang Jun, who is about to return to China.

"For me, representing my country at the UN over the past five years has truly been a great honor and a most unforgettable experience," Zhang told reporters. His UN tenure started in 2019.

Zhang called his UN post "a great honor and heavy responsibility for me. It is also a very unforgettable and glorious experience. I always keep in mind the trust of the people of my motherland and make unremitting efforts to fulfill my mission.

"During my years at the UN, I have come to realize that the world is seeing a different China," said Zhang, adding that the country is "a force for peace, development and progress that can be relied upon".

"I am proud of China's strong development and the important role it plays in the international arena," he said.

Zhang said the world needs guidance in the right direction more than ever.

"It needs more insistence on fairness and justice. It needs motivation to move forward. It needs unity, trust and cooperation. It needs a stronger and more powerful United Nations," he said.

Zhang is also bidding farewell to senior UN officials such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Dennis Francis, president of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, as well as representatives of other countries to the UN.

"I have always believed that China's development and growth are beneficial to the world," Guterres said, according to a statement from China's UN mission.

"China's commitment to promoting win-win cooperation among all countries in the world, while safeguarding its own interests and fully demonstrating its pragmatic and self-confident style as a great power, is unique among the major powers," he said.

Guterres said that he has witnessed the strengthening of China's role at the UN and its deepening of cooperation with the UN. "The UN is ready to continue to deepen its cooperation with China in all fields," Guterres said.

"The UN needs more firm and reliable partners like China to maintain world peace and stability and promote sustainable development," said Francis.

"China has always taken practical actions to practice multilateralism, promote unity and cooperation in the international community, and become a strong pillar of the United Nations cause," he said, adding that he will continue to strengthen cooperation with China and jointly seek benefits for all mankind.

Ambassadors from various countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Singapore, Italy and others also bid farewell to Zhang, according to the statement.

China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto rights. As China's national power increases, its role in the United Nations is also expanding. By 2019, China had become the second-largest financial contributor to the UN regular budget.