Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, please allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chairman of this session. I am convinced that you will guide the work of this session to a complete success.

This year is the first year in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. National governments have now the important task of effectively implementing the 2030 Agenda and taking the global social development to new heights. It is highly relevant that this session has set as its priority theme "rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world". China thanks the Secretary General for the report submitted under this item and endorses the argument contained therein about the important position and role of social development in the Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Mr. Chairman,

A good beginning is half way to success. Countries should seize the opportunity, focus on the long-tern, fully grasp the main thrust and contents of the 2030 Agenda, and formulate their implementation programs, timetables and roadmaps based on their specific conditions. In this connection, China wishes to make the following observations:

First, the three core goals of social development should be advanced in a balanced manner. As the three core goals of social development, poverty reduction, social integration and full employment have been fully incorporated in the 2030 Agenda. Countries should advance these three core goals in an integrated manner, taking poverty reduction as the basis for social development, employment promotion as the priority goal of social development, and eradication of discrimination and injustice as important elements of inclusive growth. China supports the CSocD in playing a leading role in the implementation of 2030 Agenda goals in the social field, and hopes the CSocD will turn itself into a platform for countries to exchange experience, identify problems and seek solutions.

Secondly, the autonomy of countries in formulating their implementation programs should be respected. While the 2030 Agenda has laid down goals and tasks, it has left the implementation to national governments. Countries should base themselves on their national realities and levels of development in setting down their main tasks and priorities in implementing the Agenda goals in the social field. Members of the international community should respect each other's choice of development path, and learn from each other's experience so as to improve their own performance, thus making common effort towards global social development.

Thirdly, sustainable social development should be realized through reform and innovation. The international community should sum up and reflect upon the experience and lessons in the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, promote social development as a way to advance and guarantee economic development, and adopt innovative social policies to improve people's livelihood. China appreciates the acknowledgment contained in the Secretary General's report for the measures taken by China to strengthen its social security system, and calls on all countries to strengthen coordination, promote the reform of institutions and mechanisms and improve resource allocation, so as to realize a kind of social development in which all participate, to which all contribute, and from which all benefit.

Fourthly, support for social development of developing countries should be intensified. Currently, there are still several hundred millions of people living in poverty, and developing countries, the LDCs in particular, still face daunting challenges. Only common development is genuine development. The international community should show political will, make an effort to address the unevenness of development between the North and the South, and promote global development partnerships characterized by win-win cooperation, so as to realize common development and prosperity. Developed countries should effectively honor their ODA commitments and continue to provide financial and technical support to developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government attaches great importance to social development and takes the improvement of people's lives as both the departure point and the objective of all its work. With its tremendous achievement in poverty reduction, employment, health and education, China has played an exemplary role in the global endeavor to attain the MDGs. In order to implement the 2030 Agenda, the Chinese government has set up an inter-agency coordination mechanism at the national level and is in the process of formulating programs of implementation in the various areas related to social development with a view to making them an integral part of China's overall national development strategy for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In 2015, China put forward the idea of realizing "innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared" development and set itself the goal of lifting all rural population out of poverty by 2020. This year, my government will put forward an outline of the 13th Five Year Plan on National Economic and Social Development. We are confident that with the comprehensive implementation of the Five Year Plan, China will scale new heights in its endeavor for social development.

As the largest developing country, China has done its utmost to advance the development and prosperity of the world. Last September, during the summits in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a new concept of development that pursues "fair, open, comprehensive and innovative" development, and announced a series of initiatives to help other developing countries develop economy and improve people's lives, including launching China-UN Peace and Development Fund and South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, increasing investment to the LDCs, and supporting the implementation of "six 100" projects in other developing countries. China will take the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as its mission, work energetically to implement the assistance initiatives announced by President Xi Jinping, and provide the world with more "Chinese opportunities" so as to push the global cause of social development to greater success.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.