"Thousands of beautiful silk rolls have been unrolled in the year of Dog; hundreds of steps will be climbed in the Year of Pig."

Quoting the Chinese New Year couplet, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing aroused laughter yesterday at the China-UN New Year Party at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

But China's pledge supporting the United Nations in its efforts to maintain peace and security and promote international human rights was taken seriously.

"China supports the United Nations in playing the leading role in upholding global peace and security and its advocacy of dialogue and co-operation and opposition to wilful resort to pressure or force," Li told representatives and staff of the United Nations and other international organizations in China.

While China shores up the world organization in "playing its due role in promoting international human rights," Li also emphasized that China hoped the UN's new Human Rights Council will endeavour to enhance constructive co-operation and steer clear of the old path of political confrontation."

He said China was a "staunch supporter of the multilateral system with the UN at the core," which shoulders the task "to realize the goal of human society to achieve enduring peace and common prosperity."

The task is all the more important as "mankind faces rare opportunities for development, but is also confronted with many threats and challenges," Li said, adding that "more than ever before, the world needs a strong United Nations in the new era."

And China believed in "strengthening the UN's authority and role, and improving its capacity to respond to threats and challenges through necessary and proper reform," he said.

Highlighting China's confidence in the future of the UN and of multilateralism, Li also stressed that development should take priority in the UN's reform.

"China supports the UN in making a greater contribution to promoting common development, and in its efforts to strengthen development mechanisms, and ensuring development resources," Li said.

The Chinese foreign minister also offered "a big thank you" to the UN and its agencies for their work in China.

"As a developing country, China still faces many challenges in development," he said. "I am sure we can continue to count on the support and assistance from the UN agencies represented here today and the international community."

China's support and co-operation with the United Nations is recognized, Khalid Malik, UN Resident Co-ordinator, said in his remarks.

He cited China's leadership in promoting international co-operation and providing relief efforts to disaster-hit countries.

Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general designate, said last Friday that he would co-operate with China to promote peace, security and development and enhance human rights, according to a report by Xinhua.

In an interview with reporters from Asian media organizations, Ban said he was very pleased to see that China, as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and one of the most important member states of the United Nations, had played an increasing role in international affairs, not only in Northeast Asia, but also in world affairs.

China has also been playing a very constructive role in many regional issues, including the Six-Party Talks to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

With rapid development in the political, economic and social fields, China has been gaining the respect of the international community, Ban said.

"I expect, as secretary-general of the United Nations, that China will continue to play an important and constructive role in international politics, as well as in development strategy for the developing countries," he said.

(China Daily 12/20/2006 page2)