Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s peaceful development pattern and its role in defending the authority of the United Nations (UN) initial and multilateralism and international order during a speech at the commemorative meeting on Monday marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) lawful seat in the United Nations.
In his speech, President Xi put forward five points to urge the international community to work together to practice true multilateralism, which analysts said showcased China’s efforts to build a community of shared future against the backdrop of the US’ creating small cliques in violation of multilateralism. China and the majority of developing countries would play a bigger role in defending the UN’s central mandate and the international order.
“Fifty years ago today, the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, with an overwhelming majority, Resolution 2758, and the decision was made to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations and to recognize the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. It was a victory for the Chinese people and a victory for people of the world,” President Xi said, according to the English text the Chinese Foreign Ministry released on its website.
“The restoration of New China’s lawful seat in the United Nations was a momentous event for the world and the United Nations. It came as the result of joint efforts of all peace-loving countries that stood up for justice in the world,” said Xi.
Xi recalled China’s contributions and cooperation with the UN in the past 50 years. China has always worked with people of the world in defending world peace and justice, and the Chinese people have always defended the UN’s authority and status, and practiced multilateralism to deepen cooperation with the UN.
The 50th anniversary of the restoration of the PRC’s lawful seat in the UN is a milestone in the history of China and the international community since the UN finally included the biggest developing country, analysts said.
Leaders of many international organizations and diplomats also sent their congratulations to China on the 50th anniversary.
On Monday, Xi also met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via video link. Guterres congratulated China on the 50th anniversary of the restoration of PRC’s lawful seat at the UN and both sides expressed willingness to deepen cooperation on a wide range of issues, including vaccine distribution, poverty alleviation, coping with climate change and the protection of biodiversity.
Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the UN, also congratulated China and praised China’s steadfast support to the UN in a video message released on Monday.
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN resident coordinator in China, told the Global Times on Monday that what President Xi said was inspiring on all counts, as he reaffirmed the importance of the UN and the centrality of multilateralism.
“As the UN Resident Coordinator, I can confirm that China’s achievements provide valuable lessons in poverty alleviation that we will continue to share with other developing countries through South-South cooperation,” Chatterjee said.
Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov told the Global Times that it was indeed a historic moment 50 years ago. Since then, the PRC, as a responsible member of the international community, has contributed greatly to world peace and development.
China stands firm in upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and preserving the authority and the central role of the UN. It always declares its readiness to work with other parties to fulfill its due responsibilities as a major country to uphold global peace and justice, the Russian ambassador said.
Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh told the Global Times that in the last 50 years, China has rendered a special model of development and changed into an influential great power position, and in the past half century, China played a major role in opposing unilateralism and defending multilateralism.
Cuban Ambassador to China Carlos Miguel Pereira told the Global Times that China has become a vital player in the UN system. China has given a firm voice in the UN against foreign interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and a firm stand against hostile unilateralist acts by the US and other major powers against progressive countries.
For the past half century, China has conducted fruitful cooperation with the UN in every field, which benefited both sides, and these have created a “spillover effect” on the majority of developing countries – encouraging their own security stability and economic development, Sheng Hongsheng, a professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law and former UN Military Observer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told the Global Times on Monday.
Sheng noted that China’s insistence on fairness and justice has also influenced the UN process on certain issues and helped promote its role in defending world peace and development.
The restoration of PRC’s lawful seat 50 years ago is one of the key diplomatic achievements the PRC made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Since then, China’s cooperation with the UN, and with other countries via UN platforms, is clear to all. The restoration had offered a window for socialist China to observe the world and also for the world to observe China, analysts said.
Five ‘working together’
In his speech, Xi put forward five factors that the international community could work together on, including promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and working together to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity and resolutely upholding the authority and standing of the UN, and working together to practice true multilateralism.
Xi pointed out the five “working together” that echoed the previous five principles of peaceful coexistence promoted by China, Myanmar and India in the 1950s, and its purpose is to build a community of shared future. Since the end of World War II, one of the biggest trends in the international community is increasing interdependence between countries, and the five “working together” could be interpreted as China’s guide to deal with international relations, Sheng said.
Zhang Guihong, director of the Center for the United Nations and International Organizations of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said Xi’s proposals put common values of humanity first – a concept that has been less discussed.
As a major developing country, China is different on values with many Western developed countries. Differences in ideologies and political systems are also manifested as differences in values. But the UN should be a platform where countries cast aside differences and try to consolidate common values and build a durable and firm community of shared future for mankind, Zhang said.
Given China’s role in the world economy, the common goal to promote economic and social development is easy to understand. Dealing with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic showed the urgent need to work together to address the various challenges and global issues facing humanity, said Zhang.
Xi also attached great importance to defending the UN’s central role in dealing with international affairs.
Chinese delegation to the United Nations attended the 26th United Nations General Assembly in New York on November 15, 1971. Photo: CFP
“We should resolutely uphold the authority and standing of the United Nations, and work together to practice true multilateralism,” Xi said, noting that international rules can only be made by the 193 UN member states together, and not decided by individual countries or blocs of countries. International rules should be observed by the 193 UN member states, and there is and should be no exception, said Xi.
Sheng noted that in recent years, some countries repeatedly imposed unilateral sanctions on other countries regardless of the UN, which severely violated the purposes and principles of the UN Chapter, and damaged the UN’s authority.
The UN is the core of the modern international system and the UN Charter is the cornerstone of the post-war international relations and order, and their authority cannot be impaired, Sheng said, noting that some countries created small cliques and excluded other countries on topics of shared interests, which also pose severe challenges to multilateralism.
In a recent move, the US-built AUKUS, a new military bloc with the UK and Australia, heightened geopolitical tensions and triggered outrage among countries in Asia and Europe, including China. Many have criticized the US for escalating an arms race and bringing instability.
Due to the tensions between the two biggest economies of the world and the declining influence of the US in the UN, China might need to play a bigger role and take on greater responsibility. China should take these steps to minimize the impact that the US brings to the UN since the US is now keen on forming small cliques to downplay the importance of the UN, or even try to replace it, experts noted.
Hua Liming, a former Chinese ambassador to Iran, UAE and the Netherlands, told the Global Times that multilateralism is most effective in containing hegemony and the US has found it cannot use the UN to legitimize and endorse its wrongdoings anymore. Therefore, the US prefers to execute its ambitions through small cliques rather than discussing matters in the UN.
China and the international community cannot stop the US from downplaying the importance of the UN, but they can work together to balance the negative impact from the US, Hua said.
Andrey Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, told the Global Times that “since the early 2000s, China has played a more active role in setting the UN agenda in matters such as sustainable development, social and economic rights, and global inequality.”
The China-Russia coordination within the UN Security Council helps both countries avoid possible isolation and build stronger coalitions of like-minded members in the Security Council, Kortunov said.
“The UNSC resolution drafts co-sponsored by Beijing and Moscow have more weight than drafts predated by only one of the two countries. This coordination allows China and Russia to prevent the UNSC from becoming an instrument of the US and its allies,” Kortunov noted.
