Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, I wish to extend, on behalf of the Chinese government, our congratulations on the successful convening of the34th Annual Meeting for Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77. I thank Yemen for its remarkable work during its chairmanship of the Groupof 77this year and congratulate Argentina on assuming the chairmanship for the year 2011. I wouId also like to welcome the admission of Tajikistan as the new member of the Group.

Mr. Chairman,

The world economy is stabilizing and recovering from the crisis, in a wobbly and uneven manner and with imbalances in its development. Developing countries have been affected by the financial crisis, climate change, energy and food security, and a multitude of other problems. It is a long and uphill battle to achieve the MDGs on schedule in these countries. Under the new circumstances, the Group of 77 and China need to strengthen solidarity, form synergy and focus on the following areas to defend the common interests of developing countries:

First, push for the achievement of the MDGs as scheduled. The current sesson of the UN General Assembly convened a high-level meeting on the MDGs to refocus the world attention on the issue of development. Thanks to the vigorous efforts of the Group of 77and China,the outcome document of the meeting fairly reflects the concerns and requests of developing countries. We should make use of this opportunity to continue our pursuit of the paths and modes of development that are suitable to the national conditions of our own countries, and work toward the establishment of a global partnership for development based on equality, mutual benefit and win-win results. We should urge developed countries to fulfill their committments in terms of financial assistance, debt relief, opening of market and technology transfer, and help developing countries, especially the LDCs, small island developing countries and African countries,to achieve the MDGs at an early date.

Second, strengthen and improve global economic governance. The international financial crisis fully reveals the drawbacks of the current global economic governance system. At present, developing countries are seriously under-represented in the global governance system. The Group of 77 and China should place great emphasis on exerting influence on the G20 and other new mechanism, call on the international community to give top prority to the issue of development, and work for the establishment of a fair, just,inclusive and orderly international financial system. Currently, we need to focus on ensuring that the Seoul Summit of the G20 will accomplish the goals set for the IMF quota reform, so as to give developing countries a greater say and representation, and improve the global financial regulation system and the international monetary system.

Third, be committed to sustainable development. Climate change, in essence, is an issue of development, and should be resolved within the framework of sustainable development. The Group of 77and China should continue to speak with one voice, adhere to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", uphold the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol as the main channel for negotiations, and work to ensure that the Cancun meeting to be held at the end of this year will achieve comprehensive and balanced results based on the Bali road map. Meanwhile, we need to participate in and steer the preparation process of the 2012 UN meeting on sustainable development, and call on the internaitonal community to make serious efforts to address the concerns and requests of developing countries.

Fourth, improve the level of South-South cooperation across the board. South-South cooperation is an important means for developing countries to achieve common development and join hands in meeting global challenges. In recent years, the increasingly robust trade and investment between developing countries and the establishment of a series of new cooperation mechanisms and initiatives have injected new vigor and vitality into South-South coopeation. The Group of 77and China should give full play to our role, and push for developing countries to expand the channel, substance and modality of cooperation on the basis of the principle of equality and mutual benefit. At the same time, we should make effective use of the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms, strengthen consultation and coordination on major international issues, and make concerted efforts to defend our legitimate rights and interests.

Mr. Chairman,

China all along attaches great importance to its solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries, and will forever be a good partner and brother of developing countries. As a populous developing country, China is not rich itself and is troubled by various bottleneck problems in the process of its development. Nevertheless, China is still doing what it can to provide assistance to other developing countries, the LDCs in particular. In recent years, China’s assistance to other developing countries has been on the increase, covering more and more areas and featuring various forms. During the recent UN High-level Meeting on the MDGs, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced China’s decision to contribute 14 million US dollars to the Global Fund to Fight AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the next three years.

Mr. Chairman,

China highly values the cooperation mechanism of the Group of 77 and China,and will work vigorously to support the work of the current and next chairmen. We will strengthen coordination and deepen cooperation with other developing countries, work to increase the say of developing countries in world affairs, push for the establishment of a fair and equitable international political and economic order and work tirelessly toward the goal of common development and prosperity.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.