China committed to building all-inclusive, thriving society by 2020: Chinese diplomat

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva said Wednesday that Beijing remains firmly dedicated to building a prosperous nation for all of its 1.3 billion citizens by the end of the decade.

"We are going to build a well-off society in an all-round way by 2020, laying the foundation for a prosperous, democratic, modern and harmonious socialist country that promises a better life for all Chinese citizens," Ma Zhaoxu said in a speech marking the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 45th anniversary of the restoration of China's seat in the UN.

"The 1.3 billion people in China are striving for the realization of the Chinese dream. We are firmly committed to peaceful development, and will work with all the friends and partners in the world for our shared future," he added.

Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Ma highlighted that much economic and social growth has been achieved, and that the country is now considered the world's second biggest economy.

The diplomat also reminded that since 1979, 700 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty, with the remaining 57 million poor people in the country's rural areas set to do so by 2020.

The country has also maintained high GDP growth (6.7 percent in the first half of 2016) despite a sluggish global economy which is struggling to recover from the financial crisis of 2008.

Much as China has benefited over the years from international cooperation to reach these achievements, other developing nations also stand to gain from China's economic clout, Ma explained.

This can be achieved by supporting Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed "Belt and Road Initiative" as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which will initially prioritize investment in energy, power generation, transportation, rural infrastructure, environmental protection and logistics in Asia.

As a dedicated and responsible member of the United Nations, Ma reminded that China has always upheld its aim to promote peace and development across the world.

The official said that China is the largest troop-contributing country among the five UN Security Council members for UN peacekeeping missions.

Furthermore, China wholly backs the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is a ratifying state of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change reached in 2015, a year which also saw Beijing pledge to establish a 10-year, 1 billion U.S. dollar China-UN peace and development fund to further support the UN's mandate across the globe.

"As China grows, we will make even more contributions to the world," Ma concluded.