Madam Chairperson,

At the outset, I wish to congratulate you on assuming the Chairmanship of the Second Committee of this session of the General Assembly. The Chinese delegation will work closely with you and the presidium for the timely accomplishment of all the tasks of the Second Committee. China endorses the statement made by Yemen on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Madam Chairperson,

At present, the world economy is recovering slowly, but the basis is not firm, the recovery is uneven, and there are a lot of uncertainties. The deep-seated implications of the international financial crisis are still there, the systematic and structural risks of the world economy remain pronounced, and the gap between the North and South and between the rich and poor continue to widen. Due to the impact of the financial crisis, climate change, food crisis, energy crisis, natural disasters and many other factors, developing countries are faced with severe challenges in achieving the MDGs on schedule.

The root cause of world economic imbalance and a host of global challenges is the serious imbalance in the development of the North and the South.As globalization deepens, the interests of countries have become inextricably intertwined. Only when developing countries are fully developed can there be solid basis and enduring growth for the world economy, and only in this way can the international community effectively address various global challenges. In this connection; we need to focus on the following aspects to establish a global development partnership featuring equality, mutual benefit and win-win results.

First, give top priority to development. The next five years are of crucial importance to the international community for the achievement of the MDGs. Parties concerned should have a greater sense of urgency and responsibility, build on the political consensus formed during the UN high-level meeting on the MDGs, take effective measures to put timely achievement of the MDGs on top of agenda, and ensure that this agenda item is not compromised by interruption or delay caused by other agenda items. The international community should give top priority to helping African countries and the LDCs achieve development and alleviate poverty. China supports discussion of the issue of development at G20 Seoul Summit. We hope the Summit will provide greater political impetus, more economic resources and better institutional guarantee for resolving the issue of development.

Second. secure development resources. Financial crisis should not be an excuse for reducing official development assistance. South-south cooperation is no substitute for North-South cooperation. Developed countries should implement in good faith the Monterrey Consensus, and increase the ratio of ODA to national income to 0.7% at an early date. They should also provide long-term, steady and predictable assistance and further open up market to developing countries, exempt their debts, and increase technical support. The resources of the World Bank, IMF and other international financial institutions should first and foremost be used to assist developing countries, the LDCs in particular.

Third. improve development mechanisms. The United Nations should play a guilding and coordinating role in the field of international development. It needs to strengthen working mechanisms on MDGs. It should enhance coordination and evaluation of the progress made in implementation of the MDGs, and monitor the implementation of international development assistance. The international community needs to speed up reform of international financial institutions, increase the say and representation of emerging economies and developing countries, establish a fair, just, inclusive and orderly international financial system. In the meantime, the international community should push for the Doha round negotiations to achieve comprehensive and balanced results on basis of the principle of "consistent with its mandates, locking in progress already made and basing the negotiation on the existing text".

Fourth, address development challenges. Food security, energy security and climate change bear on the economic development and social stability of all countries. The international community needs to invest more in agriculture, increase food output, ensure food supply and maintain an overall balance in food supply and demand. With regard to the energy issue, the international community should stabilize the energy prices, prevent excessive speculation, and meet the energy demand of all countries, especially that of developing countries. On the issue of climate change, the international community should adhere to the principles of equity and "common but differentiated responsibilities", and uphold theUNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol as the main channel of negotiations. At this moment, the last substantive negotiation before the Cancun Meeting is being held in Tianjin, China. This is the first time for the Chinese government to host a formal climate change negotiation under the UN framework. It is our hope that with the concerted efforts of all parties, the Cancun Meeting to be held in Mexico at the end of this year will achieve positive results.

Fifth, improve development modality. Economic development, social progress and environmental protection are the three pillars of sustainable development. The international community should make use of the UN Meeting on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, sum up the experience and lessons over the past 20 years in economic and social development and environmental protection, put emphasis on changing the unsustainable modes of production, living and consumption, explore path of development that is suitable to the national conditions of each individual country, improve the incentives and capacity for sustainable development of developing countries, and create necessary space for their development.

Madam Chairperson,

Over the years, China has taken an active part in international development cooperation. Since the outbreak of the international financial crisis, despite the huge difficulties and challenges China is facing, it has still been actively engaged in international cooperation in addressing the financial crisis, earnestly implemented its commitments and measures to assist other countries, and done what it can to provide assistance to other developing countries, the LDCs in Africa in particular.

During the just concluded UN high-level meeting on the MDGs, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made a comprehensive briefing on the progress made and experience accumulated by China in achieving the MDGs and China's contribution to the international endeavors for poverty alleviation and South-South cooperation·He also announced a host of new measures and initiatives the Chinese government will take to help developing countries, including assisting them in improvement of the livelihood, debt relief, and strengthening of cooperation in finance, trade, agriculture and human resources training.

Madam Chairperson,

In closing, I would like to emphasize that China remains a developing country with a large population, weak' economic foundation and uneven development. China's per capita GDP ranks behind more than 100 countries, 150 million Chinese people are still living under the poverty line set by the United Nations. China is faced with a heavy task in developing the economy and improving people’s life. There are still many unprecedented challenges. While pursuing its own development, China will continue to take it as its own responsibility to promote the common development and prosperity of the humankind. China will continue to work with the rest of the international community and contribute to the achievement of the MDGs as scheduled and to international development cooperation.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson.