Mr. Chairman,

China congratulates you and Ambassador Pobee on assuming the co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly, and appreciates that the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Bande, has made the revitalization of the General Assembly one of the priorities of this session. China attaches great importance to the revitalization of the General Assembly and will, as always, support the co-chairs in their work.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. At present, the international community is facing many severe challenges. More than ever, we need multilateralism and a strong United Nations. The General Assembly, being a principal UN organ under the Charter, is a principal policy deliberation body. Revitalizing the General Assembly concerns the common interests of all Member States, the status and role of the United Nations, and the authority and credibility of multilateralism.

China believes that in the process of revitalizing the General Assembly, we should make full use of the opportunity presented by the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and push the General Assembly to further improve its work, boost its efficiency and fully fulfill its responsibilities under the Charter.

First, firmly committing to multilateralism. Multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the international community and is supported by the vast majority of Member States. To revitalize the work of the General Assembly requires a commitment to strengthen multilateralism, enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the General Assembly, and build stronger trust and confidence of all parties in the United Nations. It is important that all parties summon stronger political commitments and support the General Assembly with real actions, including timely, full and unconditional payment of assessed contributions.

Second, setting development as a top priority. The global implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has entered a key "decade of action". However, the progress in implementation is not satisfactory. Therefore, the General Assembly should place development issues on top of its agenda and urge the international community, especially developed countries, to assist developing countries in implementing Agenda 2030. We must never cut back on our attention and investment devoted to development issues, on the pretext of optimizing the agenda of the General Assembly.

Third, abiding by the mandate given by the UN Charter. The Charter clearly stipulates the responsibilities of the General Assembly, the Security Council, ECOSOC and other organs. Each of these bodies should bring into play their own strengths, create effective synergies instead of replacing each other, and should never erode or damage the responsibilities of other bodies. On issues pertaining to the maintenance of international peace and security, the General Assembly should strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Security Council in accordance with the Charter.

Fourth, taking a membership-driven approach. The United Nations is an intergovernmental international organization while the General Assembly, an intergovernmental policy deliberation and decision-making organ. The General Assembly should adhere to an issue-oriented and action-oriented approach and, in light of changing dynamics in the international situation, focus on the consideration and handling of important issues that concern the vital interests of Member States, especially developing countries. Member States should take the lead and the intergovernmental nature of the General Assembly should not be weakened for various reasons.

China supports the General Assembly in further improving its working methods and its agenda setting and striving to build an efficient and pragmatic work-style. We also support increasing the necessary human resources and financial budget for the Office of the President of the General Assembly to ensure that the PGA can perform his/her duties more effectively. The Chinese delegation will stay deeply engaged in the follow-up consultations on the revitalization of the General Assembly, maintain close communication with the co-chairs and other countries, work for positive progress on this important issue of GA revitalization, thus instilling new political impetus into the effort of championing multilateralism and promoting world peace and development.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.