Celebration of the 40th anniversary of the restitution of the People's Republic of China to their seat in the United Nations

State Councillor Dai
Minister Yang
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am deeply honoured to represent the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon as we mark the 40^th anniversary of General Assembly Resolution 2758 that restored the People’s Republic of China to its lawful seat at the United Nations. This is a welcome opportunity to thank China for the wide-ranging contributions to our Organization and to the promotion of the values of the Charter.

It is my privilege to deliver the Secretary-General’s message to you on this most important occasion. The message goes as follows:

“Today we mark four decades since the passage of General Assembly Resolution 2758, which recognized the People’s Republic of China as the legitimate representatives of China in the United Nations.

With that action, the people of China became represented in the United Nations, and the world body itself became more representative.

Through the years, China has played an important role in the United Nations, not only as a member state but also as a permanent member of the Security Council.

It has sent over 19,000 military, police and civilian personnel to serve in 28 UN peacekeeping missions.

As the largest developing country in the world, it has achieved unprecedented economic growth and progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: successes which serve as inspiration to many others.

China has also supported UN efforts to advance sustainable development, and has become an increasingly important humanitarian donor, committing over $75 million to UN appeals this year.

In a world of multiple crises, China is crucial to forging multilateral solutions to 21^st century challenges. Together, let us strive to build a better world based on the shared values and principles of the UN Charter, as well as the body of international laws and agreements that are the foundation of our common quest for development, peace and security and human rights.

As China’s global standing and influence grow, I trust it will continue to assume an ever more active role in meeting its responsibilities as a major power and in making the world safer, just and more peaceful for generations to come.”

That was the end of the Secretary-General’s message.

I join Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in congratulating you on this important anniversary. As over the past forty years, China’s leadership and vision will continue to be central to a strong United Nations that serves the people of the world.

Every year, the United Nations mobilizes about $7 billion in humanitarian aid to help people affected by emergencies. Every year, we assist over 34 million refugees and others fleeing war, famine and persecution. We vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s children, saving 2 million lives a year. This year, we will provide food to around 90 million people in 73 countries. Around 120,000 peacekeepers from 115 countries, including many from China, are deployed in 15 peacekeeping operations on 4 continents.

We look forward to our continued strong collaboration on these shared global challenges.

Our hope is that as we move into our fifth decade of partnership, China will take every opportunity to reinforce, support and lead the United Nations agenda.

Thank you very much.