Mr. President,

The Chinese delegation supports the statement made by the representative of Guyana on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The Chinese delegation welcomes the Report on the work of the UN submitted by Secretary-General Guterres. In his briefing, the Secretary-General made many important observations that merit our great attention.

At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with a significantly higher level of uncertainty and instability. The rise of unilateralism is undercutting international rules and rule of law. The spread of protectionism is weighing down global economic growth. Rampant power politics is threatening world peace and stability. Traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined and global governance is confronted with more difficulties. Regions see constant turmoil and flash-points keep flaring up. Recently, the situation in the Gulf region of the Middle East suddenly became tense and was once on the verge of war.

At the same time, peace and development remain the theme of our time. Globalization and multi-polarization are moving forward despite twists and turns. And a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is gathering momentum. The future of human society depends on whether countries make the right choices between cooperation and confrontation, multilateralism and unilateralism, openness and isolation.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the UN and the 75th anniversary of the end of the WWII. Reaffirming the spirit of the UN Charter is the best way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN, and is highly relevant in today's world. Now, 75 years later, all member states should bear in mind the founding aspiration of the UN and courageously shoulder the mission of maintaining world peace and promoting common development.

China supports in general the eight priorities proposed by Secretary-General Guterres. We believe the UN should prioritize the following areas in its work this year:

First, abiding by the purposes and principles of the Charter and firmly upholding multilateralism, which represents the desire of the people and the trend of the times. Unilateralism, based exclusively on supremacy of one's own country, is neither feasible nor popular. All parties should seize the opportunity of the 75th Anniversary Summit of the UN and related events to jointly defend the international order with international law at its core and support the UN in playing a bigger role in international affairs, so as to promote the establishment of a more equitable and effective global governance system.

Second, attaching more importance to development and accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The international community should take the opportunity of the critical decade for 2030 Agenda and implement a people-centered development concept. It should prioritize SDGs of concerns to developing countries on poverty reduction, hunger eradication, education, healthcare and infrastructure so that no one is left behind. This May, China will host in Beijing the Second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference. We welcome the active participation of all countries with a view to jointly building a global partnership on connectivity.

Third, deepening international cooperation, and working together to seize opportunities and tackle challenges. The world is a global village where countries are highly interdependent. No country can tackle the challenges facing mankind alone, and no country can return to an island of self-isolation. We should create opportunities in opening up, seek win-win results in cooperation, jointly solve global problems such as climate change and terrorism, intensify practical cooperation in digital economy, 5G, artificial intelligence and other fields, and build an open world economy.

This October, China will host in Kunming, Yunnan Province the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. We look forward to working with all parties to promote global ecological civilization and strive to realize a beautiful vision of sustainable use of biodiversity, benefit sharing and harmonious coexistence between human and nature by 2050.

Fourth, strengthening the unity of member states, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and properly handling differences. International affairs should be discussed and handled by everyone. All countries, big or small, should be equal, respecting each other's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, respecting each other's development path that was chosen independently, and respecting each country's right to pursue a better life and space for development. We should resolve disputes peacefully through political and diplomatic means, oppose arbitrary use or threat of force, oppose long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions, and oppose politicizing or adopting double standards on issues such as counter-terrorism and human rights.

Mr. President,

Human history, like a river, runs forever, witnessing both peaceful moments and great disturbances. At present, the international order is at a critical crossroads. Sources of instability and risk have increased significantly worldwide. The more difficult it is, the more important for the international community to firmly believe in multilateralism and jointly promote the development of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. We stand ready to work with other member states to participate more actively and profoundly in the work of the UN in various fields and make unremitting efforts to realize the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.