Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
At the High-level Meeting to
Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations
Beijing, 21 September 2020
Mr. President,
Colleagues,
Seventy-five years ago, the people of the world, with strenuousstruggle and tremendous sacrifice, won the great victory in the WorldAnti-Fascist War. It was indeed a victory for justice and a victory for thepeople.
Through the first half of the last century, mankind had sufferedthe scourge of two devastating wars that brought untold sufferings to theworld. It was against such a backdrop that the United Nations (UN) came intobeing. Over the ensuing 75 years, this Organization has traveled anextraordinary journey. A new chapter has thus opened for peace and developmentin the world.
— The 75 years since the founding of the UN has seen dramaticprogress in human society. We have experienced significant and across-the-boardprogress in science and technology and in industrial revolution. We are nowembracing a new round of even more extensive and substantial scientific andtechnological revolution and industrial transformation. Globally, socialproductivity has been unprecedentedly unleashed and boosted. Mankind has neverbeen so powerfully capable to overcome the difficulties we face and change theworld we live in.
— The 75 years since the founding of the UN has witnessed profoundchanges in the international situation. A great many developing countries havegained national liberation and independence. Over a billion people have walkedout of poverty. And a population of several billion have embarked on a pathtoward modernization. These achievements have considerably strengthened theforce for peace and development in the world and transformed the internationallandscape in a most far-reaching way.
— The 75 years since the founding of the UN has been a period ofrapid development of multilateralism. Problems facing the world are big andmany, and global challenges are on the increase. They should and can only beresolved through dialogue and cooperation. International affairs ought to beaddressed through consultation among us all. The understanding that we are allin the same boat is now a popular consensus in the global community.
After the storm comes the rainbow. The UN has stood one test afteranother and emerged with renewed vigor and vitality. The UN embodies theaspiration of the over seven billion people for a better life, and the UNCharter remains an important guarantee for world peace and development.
Mr. President,
Major changes unseen in a century are taking place in our world.The sudden attack of COVID-19 is a grave test for the entire world. Mankind hasentered a new era of interconnectedness, with countries sharing intertwinedinterests and their future closely linked together. Global threats and globalchallenges require strong, global responses.
In the face of new realities and challenges, we must do someserious thinking: What kind of UN is needed for the world? How should theOrganization play its role in the post-COVID era? Let me share some of mythoughts with you.
First, the UN must stand firm for justice. Mutual respect andequality among all countries, big or small, represents the progress of our timesand is the foremost principle of the UN Charter. No country has the right todominate global affairs, control the destiny of others, or keep advantages indevelopment all to itself. Even less should one be allowed to do whatever itlikes and be the hegemon, bully or boss of the world. Unilateralism is a deadend. All need to follow the approach of extensive consultation, jointcontribution and shared benefits. All need to come together to uphold universalsecurity, share the fruits of development, and jointly decide on the future ofthe world. It is imperative that the representation and voice of developingcountries be increased so that the UN could be more balanced in reflecting theinterests and wishes of the majority of countries in the world.
Second, the UN must uphold the rule of law. The purposes andprinciples of the UN Charter are the fundamental guidelines for handlinginternational relations. They constitute a cornerstone of stable internationalorder and must be unswervingly kept and upheld. Relations among countries andcoordination of their interests must only be based on rules and institutions;they must not be lorded over by those who wave a strong fist at others. Bigcountries should lead by example in advocating and upholding the internationalrule of law and in honoring their commitments. There must be no practice ofexceptionalism or double standards. Nor should international law be distortedand used as a pretext to undermine other countries’ legitimate rights andinterests or world peace and stability.
Third, the UN must promote cooperation. To promote cooperationamong countries is a founding mission of the UN and an important purpose speltout in the UN Charter. Cold War mentality, ideological lines or zero-sum gameare no solution to a country’s own problem, still less an answer to mankind’scommon challenges. What we need to do is to replace conflict with dialogue,coercion with consultation and zero-sum with win-win. We need to pursue thecommon interests of all as we each work to safeguard our own interests. We needto expand the converging interests of all and build a big global family ofharmony and cooperation.
Fourth, the UN must focus on real action. To put into practice theprinciple of multilateralism, we must act, not just talk. There must be a cure,not just a therapy. The UN should aim at problem solving and move towardtangible outcomes as it advances security, development and human rights inparallel. In particular, as the UN advances its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,priority should be given to addressing non-traditional security challenges suchas public health; the issue of development should be highlighted in the globalmacro framework; and there should be a greater emphasis on the promotion andprotection of the rights to subsistence and development.
China was the first to sign on the Charter of the United Nations.It is a founding member of the UN and the only developing country that takes apermanent seat on the Security Council. China will continue to be a truefollower of multilateralism. It will stay actively engaged in reforming anddeveloping the global governance system. It will firmly uphold the UN-centeredinternational system, firmly uphold the international order underpinned byinternational law, and firmly defend the UN’s central role in internationalaffairs.
Mr. President,
The world now stands at a new historical starting point. Let usrenew our firm commitment to multilateralism, work to promote a community witha shared future for mankind, and rally behind the banner of the UN to pursuegreater unity and progress.
I thank you.
Editor: Galia
