(Photo by Shen Hong, Xinhua News Agency)

 

Mr. Secretary-General,

Mr. Liu Chuanzhi,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, on behalf of Ambassador Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, and the Chinese Mission to the UN, I welcome China’s distinguished business leaders to the United Nations. I also thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his presence and remarks.

The UN Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992 was an important landmark in international development cooperation. Over the past 20 years, the international community has made much progress in promoting sustainable development.

Nevertheless, lack of implementation in the field of sustainable development lingers. The economic and social development of different regions is very uneven. The trend toward ecological degradation and environmental pollution has yet to be fundamentally reversed. Timely achievement of the MDGs remains a daunting task.

Developing countries are confronted with serious shortages in financing, technology and capacity building. The international financial crisis, climate change, food and energy crises, natural disasters, and many other challenges have added to the burden of developing countries as they seek sustainable development. The world is faced with a more complicated situation and severe challenges in promoting sustainable development.

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 will provide an important opportunity for international cooperation in sustainable development. Given the difficulties encountered by the global economy and international development cooperation, Rio+20 should send a positive, clear and strong signal on revitalizing international cooperation. It should integrate economic growth, social progress and environmental protection, take effective measures to overcome the difficulties and problems facing developing countries, strengthen the development pillar of the United Nations, and inject new vigor and vitality into the global sustainable development agenda.

We maintain that the Conference should adopt an action-oriented, pragmatic approach. It needs to work out concrete plans of implementation. In particular, it should reaffirm that developed countries should make good on their pledges on financial support, technology transfer, capacity building and other means of implementation, and take effective measures to promote global sustainable development.

The Conference should follow the principle of integrating the three pillars of economic growth, social development and environmental protection, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, the principle of diversified modes of development, and the principle of consensus.

The Conference should also adhere to the principle that sustainable development efforts are government driven with broad participation by various stakeholders. While government's role is irreplaceable in promoting sustainable development, the extensive and in-depth participation of the civil society, private sector, business community and other major groups are also necessary.

The Chinese government has always put emphasis on guiding businesses to foster a sense of global responsibility. We encourage Chinese companies to voluntarily incorporate social responsibility into their business strategies and abide by the laws of the relevant countries and international business code of conduct. We encourage Chinese companies to improve their operating models, and strike a balance between economic interests and social benefits.

We are pleased to see that, in recent years, the business community in China has shouldered its share of social responsibility. Chinese companies have developed energy-efficient and environment-friendly technologies and products, and emerged as an important force for green economy. With more and more Chinese companies entering the world market, they will have a broader global perspective, pay more attention to the idea of sustainable development, be more committed to the principles of the Global Compact, and take a more active part in its activities.

The Chinese government will continue to support Chinese companies in joining the Global Compact, and support their participation in Rio+20 as well as related activities organized by the office of Global Compact. We encourage Chinese companies to engage in extensive international exchanges to share experience, explore comprehensive solutions and forge practical partnerships, thus making positive contributions to Rio+20 and the global sustainable development agenda.

In closing, I wish our business leaders a pleasant and successful trip in the United States.

Thank you.