President, 

I congratulate Ambassador Tareq M. A. M. Albanai of Kuwait and Ambassador Lise Gregoire-van Haaren of the Netherlands on their appointment as IGN co-chairs of the 80th session of the General Assembly. China will fully support them in performing their duties according to the mandate given by the GA and in advancing the IGN on the right track. 

The world today has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, and is prone to frequent geopolitical clashes. The international community eagerly expects the Security Council to shoulder its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. China supports the Security Council in moving with the times and undertaking necessary and reasonable reforms to enhance its authority and efficiency to better respond to crises and challenges. 

First, it is vital to maintain the right direction of reform. Reform of the Security Council bears on the very foundation of global governance, and therefore demands a long-term perspective. It should be compatible with the trend of the times, namely, multi-polarization of the world and the collective rise of the Global South. The unreasonable composition of Council members, the over-representation of developed countries, and the perpetual dominance of a certain bloc are the main reasons for criticism against this organ. Effectively increasing the representation and voice of developing countries must be the only right direction, so that more small- and medium-sized states can participate in decision-making. It is especially important to address the historical injustice suffered by Africa and make priority and special arrangements for Africa's demands. 

Second, it is vital to maintain the status of the IGN as the main channel. On the issue of Security Council reform, the IGN process has always been the sole negotiation platform with the mandate from the entire membership. For many years, the IGN has played an irreplaceable role in expanding convergence and narrowing differences among member states. A small number of countries, out of their own political needs, have openly challenged the authority of the IGN, abandoned the consensus of member states, and threatened to launch an alternative platform. This is essentially an attempt to force parties to take sides and take away member states' right to continue in-depth discussions. China firmly opposes this practice. 

Third, it is vital to pursue a package solution. Security Council reform is a systemic project. The five clusters of issues are its pillars, and are all indispensable. Before clear consensus can be reached, any attempt to adopt a single consolidated model in haste, push for text-based negotiations, or even impose artificial timelines and take a step-by-step or piecemeal approach will only derail the reform process and may even lead it astray. 

Fourth, it is vital to explore advanced ideas of reform. The Security Council should not only adapt to the current international situation, but also keep up with the future evolution of global landscape. In recent years, more and more countries have adopted a strategic perspective on Security Council reform, supporting the creation of regional and rotating seats and opposing one election giving permanent terms. They believe this approach can genuinely provide the Global South with more opportunities to serve on the Council. Compared with proposals to expand both categories of seats, this idea is fairer, more democratic, and reflects the latest thinking of member states. It merits further discussion and refinement. 

President,

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Japan, in its war of aggression during World War II, including its colonial rule over Taiwan, committed countless atrocities, subjecting the Chinese people and people in other victimized Asian countries to profound suffering. However, even today, some forces in Japan still keep on campaigning the wrong perspective of history of World War II, pay homage to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals of World War II are honored, revise historical textbooks in primary and middle schools, deny the Nanjing Massacre, the forced recruitment of “comfort women”, and other historical facts, and peddle revisionist historical narratives such as “end of war” is not defeat, all in a futile attempt to distort, deny, and glorify its history of aggression and colonial rule. Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made brazen, provocative statement on Taiwan at the Diet, claiming that a “Taiwan contingency” could be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. She implied that Japan may invoke the so-called right to collective self-defense to interfere militarily in the Taiwan Strait. It is known to all that there is only one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan are extremely erroneous and dangerous. They constitute a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a serious breach of the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan. They are an affront to international justice, damage the post-war international order, trample on the basic norms of international relations, and represent a blatant departure from Japan's commitment to peaceful development. Such a country is totally unqualified to seek a permanent seat on the Security Council.

China stands ready to work with all parties during the current IGN session to advance Security Council reform in a direction that serves the common interests of the entire UN membership and the long-term development of the Organization, thus making positive contributions to building a more just and equitable global governance system.

Thank you, President.

Second Round of Remarks by Ambassador Fu Cong on the Reform of the Security Council at the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly Plenary Meeting

In response to the absurd remarks just made by Japan, let me emphasize the following: it has been 80 years since the victory of World War II. The facts of World War II are irrefutable and cannot be denied. Japan's war and colonial crimes are too numerous to count and cannot be overturned. Any self-justifying arguments from Japan only further prove that Japan is still unable to face up to and reflect on its history of aggression. Throughout its history, Japanese militarists have repeatedly used the so-called “survival-threatening situation” as a pretext to launch foreign aggression, including the September 18 Incident in 1931 under the pretext of the right of self-defense, which provoked the war of aggression against China and brought profound disasters to the Chinese people and people around the world. Now, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi again raised the issue of “survival-threatening situation”. What is her true intention? Is Japan going to repeat its past mistakes of militarism? Takaichi has also consistently advocated for the abolition of the “renunciation of war” clause in Japan's pacifist constitution. Given the egregious behavior from Sanae Takaichi, how can the international community trust Japan's professed commitment to peaceful development? How can we trust Japan to uphold fairness and justice? How can we trust Japan to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security?

Our message to Japan is clear: Japan should immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs, retract its wrongful, proactive remarks and actions, and refrain from playing with fire on the Taiwan question. Otherwise, Japan should be prepared to bear all the consequences. If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression and would definitely be met with a firm response from China. We will exercise our right to self-defence under the UN Charter and international law and resolutely defend China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.