Xi commits to strong backing for UN

President Xi Jinping meets with United Nations secretary­general designate Antonio Guterres in Beijing on Monday. WU ZHIYI / CHINA DAILY

The UN should also carry out the 2030 sustainable development agenda and Paris climate agreement, and look after the interests of developing countries while helping them voice their opinions and assisting them, Xi said. The president noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the restoration of China's rightful seat at the UN.

Guterres praised China for supporting the UN.

The UN is willing to cooperate closely with China and promote world peace, security and prosperity, he said.

Premier Li Keqiang, who had a separate meeting with Guterres, said China is willing to increase cooperation with other nations to maintain the authority of the UN, improve its ability to tackle emergencies, and facilitate sustainable and inclusive development.

Guterres, 67, was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.

He served as UN high commissioner for refugees from 2005 to 2015 before being elected as Ban Ki­moon's successor as UN secretary­general. He will take up that post at the start of 2017.

Guterres visited Russia and Kazakhstan before making his first visit to China since becoming the secretary­general designate last month.

In another meeting on Monday, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Guterres said that China also led the building of new global instruments such as the Asian InfrastructureInvestmentBankandthe Belt and Road Initiative to help other nations achieve sustainable development through cooperation.

At the same time, Guterres said, China has been bringing together nations in conflict to resolve issues through dialogue. "China is a solid pillar for multilateralism," he said, adding that China could become the peace broker that "the world badly needs today".

No country can succeed in solving global issues alone, said Shen Yongxin, a researcher in world history studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Shen said the UN is an effective platform for collective response to global challenges, through which China can exercise its leadership and bring nations together to tackle global issues.

Contact the writers at zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn