For more than 50 years, China has held to its original aspiration for multilateralism, world peace and common development, and firmly supported the UN in playing a bigger role in international affairs. As a founding member, China was the first to put its signature on the UN Charter. On 25 October 1971, the UN General Assembly at its 26th Session adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority to restore all the rights of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and to recognise the representatives of the Government of the PRC as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN.
China’s cooperation with the UN has kept expanding and deepening. UN agencies have set up offices in China, and conducted fruitful cooperation in a wide range of areas including economic development, poverty alleviation, health care, food security, and environmental protection.
Since 1971, China has firmly upheld world peace and security. The country has dispatched over 50,000 peacekeepers to nearly 30 UN peacekeeping missions. It is the second largest funding contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and an important troop provider, contributing more peacekeepers than any other permanent members of the Security Council. In 2021 more than 2,200 Chinese peacekeepers were on duty in eight mission areas.
China has taken an active part in international arms control and disarmament. It has joined more than 20 international arms control treaties and mechanisms. China has taken an active part in global cooperation to address non-traditional security threats. It supports UN’s leading role in the global fight against terrorism and the counter-terrorism resolutions adopted by the Security Council. It has vigorously promoted the full implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
China has made vigorous efforts to promote global development. It has met the poverty eradication target of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule. China has taken an active part in international poverty reduction cooperation, and facilitated the adoption of resolutions on rural poverty eradication at the UN General Assembly.
In 2013, President Xi Jinping put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. To date, 141 countries and 32 international organizations including 19 UN agencies have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China. A large number of cooperation projects have been delivered, which have enhanced the connectivity between countries and regions and given a strong boost to economic and social development and people’s livelihood in relevant countries and regions.
Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, with a view to speeding up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the international community and achieving more robust, greener and more balanced global development.
China has worked tirelessly to advance international cooperation on climate change. During the negotiations on the Paris Agreement in 2015, China called on all parties to work in the same direction and build consensus, making an important contribution to the conclusion of the Agreement as scheduled. At the General Debate of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2020, Xi announced China’s commitment to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
China attaches great importance to protecting biological diversity. Xi made an important speech at the 2020 UN Summit on Biodiversity where he made a four-point proposal on global environmental governance. From 11 to 15 October 2021, the first part of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Kunming.
China is committed to advancing sustainable transport and connectivity in the world. From 14 to 16 October 2021, the Second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference was held in Beijing. The Conference released the Beijing Statement, which encourages countries to enhance cooperation, capacity building and knowledge exchange in the field of sustainable transport.
As a member of nearly all universal inter-governmental organisations and a signatory to over 600 international conventions and amendments, China has been fulfilling its treaty obligations in good faith, honoring its international commitments, and firmly upholding the international order underpinned by international law.
China has firmly supported developing countries’ efforts to safeguard their own maritime rights and interests. It has played an important role in the final conclusion of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has actively facilitated negotiations and formulation of international rules in such emerging areas as cyber, deep sea, polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic), outer space and anti-corruption.
China has advocated formulating an international convention on countering cybercrime under the UN framework, and has been an initiator, supporter and promoter of the UN Intergovernmental Expert Group on Cybercrime. China has actively facilitated the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution to launch the negotiation process for a global convention on countering cybercrime, which is the first UN-led international convention on cybercrime.
China has been deeply involved in negotiations on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, firmly upheld the Convention’s status as the main channel of international anti-corruption cooperation, and actively participated in the Conferences of the State Parties and relevant working group meetings. China is an important party to and a faithful practitioner of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
China has taken an active part in the work of the UN in all areas, and urged the UN to focus on the concerns and needs of developing countries. In September 2015, when attending the summits marking the 70th anniversary of the UN, Xi announced China’s decision to establish a China-UN Peace and Development Fund. By 2021, China had provided US$120 million to the fund and launched 112 cooperation projects, giving support to UN’s work on peace and development.
China has always adhered to the basic state policy of gender equality. It successfully hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, during which the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted. In 2015, Xi chaired the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and delivered an important statement at the 2020 High-level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women at the UN General Assembly.
China has long been actively committed to cooperation on education with the UN and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. When COVID-19 caused massive school closures around the world and dealt a heavy blow to global education, China supported the UN in advancing digital education, and catalysed international community’s exploration of flexible and hybrid learning during the pandemic to help ensure equal opportunity in education and inclusive education for all, and strive to attain the goals for education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
China has hosted multiple major international multi-sport events including the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games, and the Asian Games. It has made vigorous efforts to popularise the Olympic Movement and contributed its share to world Olympic Movement. Beijing hosted the 24th Olympic Winter Games from 4 to 20 February, 2022 and the 13th Paralympic Winter Games from 4 to 13 March, 2022, making Beijing the world’s first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
China has made continuous contribution to improving healthcare for mankind. China supports the WHO and other UN agencies in mobilising global resources to accelerate vaccine and medicine research and development and support Africa in building up public health capacity and realising greater development. China actively responded to the UN-initiated Global Humanitarian Response Plan, providing assistance in kind to over 150 countries and international organizations and exporting medical supplies to over 200 countries and regions.
China will continue to make new contributions to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, maintaining world peace, and promoting common development and human progress.
Stephen Ndegwa
