UN chief commends China for its outreach

Invitations to summit show country's expansive and 'compassionate' vision

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday that he "really appreciates" China's effort to invite the largest number of developing countries ever to attend a G20 Summit.

"It's easy to say we support developing countries, but it is difficult to really take action to help those people," Ban said, adding that the effort reflects the Chinese government's "far-reaching, visionary and compassionate" outlook.

It is in line with "persistent Chinese efforts" to push forward South-South cooperation, he said at a news conference on the sidelines of the two-day summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Ban thanked President Xi Jinping for emphasizing sustainable development as the core element of the G20 agenda. Developed countries have the capacity to mobilize many resources, but there are many countries whose resources are limited, he said.

He told reporters that G20 members have a key role in promoting a stable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth agenda.

"All this should be promoted through a partnership of all of us," he said. "And the G20 Summit is the place where we strengthen such partnerships between developed and developing countries."

Poverty reduction is the No 1 priority of the United Nations, Ban said, noting that there are still more than 1 billion people who earn less than $1.25 a day. The top priority goal is that all forms of poverty must be eradicated by 2030, when there will be no people "whose stomachs are empty", he said.

"With the strong economic push by the Chinese government, we were able to achieve the No 1 goal of millennium development. We owe a lot to the Chinese government's contribution," he added.

The government has made poverty reduction its top priority. During a tour in July to the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, an underdeveloped area with a high concentration of ethnic groups, Xi said: "There are still some 50 million Chinese struggling with poverty, and by 2020 they must all be lifted out of poverty. This is my top concern now."

It was Ban's second trip to Hangzhou, where economic and social development has been impressive and the people live in peace and stability. "This kind of benefit and opportunity should be shared by people around the world," he said.

Noting this is the last G20 he will attend as UN secretary-general, Ban congratulated China for "successfully hosting and wonderfully organizing" the event.

Huang Wei, director of the Institute of Global Governance under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that this year's summit has brought the industrialization of Africa to the forefront. African countries will benefit from the G20 platform, she said.

"The participation of more developing countries has strengthened the legitimacy of the G20, as the group has long been asked whether only 20 economies should represent the world," she said, adding that the G20 should not be a club of superpowers but a key platform to benefit all countries around the world.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, praises China's effort to strengthen developing countries' participation in the G20 at a news conference on Sunday. Wang Zhuangfei / China Daily

(China Daily 09/05/2016 page4)