President,

Initiated by the five Central Asian countries, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution last year reaffirming Central Asia as the zone of peace, trust, and cooperation and proposing the holding of today’s meeting. This fully demonstrates the determination and commitment of Central Asian countries to enhance mutual trust, cooperation, lasting peace, and common development. 

China and Central Asian countries are good neighbors, good partners, and good brothers. From years of practical cooperation emerged the China-Central Asia spirit of mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development. Last month, the second China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Kazakhstan. In the upcoming September, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be held in Tianjin, China. China will work with the Central Asian countries to strengthen regional cooperation, consolidate regional platforms, and jointly make new contributions to peace, stability, development, and prosperity of the region. 

President,

Peace is the eternal theme of humanity, and the goal that we have been striving for tirelessly. The establishment of peace zones in Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean, as well as the efforts and contributions made by relevant countries to enhance neighborly friendship, promote regional stability, and maintain world peace are commendable. Eighty years ago, after the devastation of the two World Wars, the international community engaged in profound reflection and worked together to establish the United Nations. Eighty years later, the world remained far from peaceful, with hegemony and bullying on the rise, geopolitical conflicts erupting one after another, and various challenges interlocking and compounding. We need to revisit the original aspirations of the UN, fulfill the commitment to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and join hands to safeguard peace and tranquility and enhance friendship and cooperation. 

China has always been a builder of world peace. President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Security Initiative advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. As a permanent member of the Security Council, we consistently promote the peaceful resolution of disputes. As the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations and an important troop-contributing country, we have demonstrated our commitment to international peace and security through concrete actions. China will work with all the peace-loving countries and peoples around the world to make unremitting efforts to achieve a world of lasting peace and universal security and build a community with a shared future for mankind. 

Thank you, President.