President Xi Jinping addresses a conference on Oct 25 in Beijing marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations. (LI XIANG / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Oct 25 China’s commitment to following a path of peaceful development, reform and opening-up and multilateralism, while calling upon nations to jointly work toward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Speaking at a conference in Beijing marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations, Xi expounded on Beijing’s position in upholding the authority and standing of the UN and practicing “true multilateralism”.

“We shall be firm in opposing all forms of hegemony and power politics, as well as all forms of unilateralism and protectionism,” he told an audience of more than 200 people, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who attended via video link, ambassadors to China and Chinese diplomats who have worked in the global body.

In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China in the UN.

The president hailed the move as a momentous event for the world and the UN, saying that its importance was significant and far-reaching for both China and the world.

The past 50 years have witnessed China’s peaceful development and its commitment and dedication to the welfare of all humanity, Xi said.

China, which rose to become the world’s second-largest economy from a state of low productivity, has always been a strong supporter of other developing countries in their just struggle to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests, he said.

China has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations, and is now the second-largest financial contributor to both the UN and UN peacekeeping operations.

Development path

With the world facing changes unseen in a century, the president stressed the importance of following the prevailing trend of history, and choosing cooperation over confrontation, openness over seclusion, and mutual benefit over zero-sum games.

“We should vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity,” he said, adding that no civilization in the world is superior to others and every civilization is special and unique to its own region.

Xi listed a number of standards on whether a country’s path of development works, which he said must be judged, first and foremost, by whether it fits the country’s conditions, whether the path of development can bring about economic growth, social advancement, better livelihoods and social stability, and whether it has the people’s endorsement and support.

He further elaborated on the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The vision is not to replace one system or civilization with another, he said. “Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures and levels of development coming together for shared interests, shared rights and shared responsibilities in global affairs, and creating the greatest synergy for building a better world,” he added.

In upholding the authority of the UN, Xi said international rules can only be made by the 193 UN member states together, instead of being decided by individual countries or blocs of countries, and the rules must be observed by all member states without exception.

Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN resident coordinator in China, said the speech delivered by Xi was compelling and profound.

“President Xi has reconfirmed the primacy of multilateralism, human development and humanity. We are fully committed and aligned with his vision, not only for China but for the partnerships China and the rest of world can have,” he said.

Selim Belortaja, the Albanian ambassador to China, said Albania remains proud of its step to help China restore its lawful place in the UN even today, and the role China has played over the past decades fully justified the resolution 50 years ago.

He also lauded Xi’s strong appeal for multilateralism in his speech, as “global challenges require a coordinated and concerted response globally”.

Experts and observers worldwide also hailed China’s multilateralism push, noting that the nation has firmly adhered to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

China has made great contributions in promoting world peace and international cooperation over the past 50 years, they said.

Atsushi Koketsu, professor emeritus at Yamaguchi University in Japan, said the multilateralism advocated by China is intended to eliminate disputes, wars and poverty.

“Multilateralism is a policy goal that the international community should share. In order to free people of all countries from the fear of conflict and poverty, multilateralism should become the mainstream (idea) and consensus of the international community,” Koketsu said.

“It is also hoped that China will continue to vigorously promote multilateralism from the standpoint of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and further become a leader in the pursuit of happiness for the people of the world,” he added.

Japan should regard China as a trustworthy neighbor, so as to create opportunities for mutual exchanges and win-win cooperation, he said.

Global cooperation

Yevgeny Zaitsev, head of the Center for Russian-Chinese Studies at Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University, said the restoration of China’s seat in the UN was a moment when “historical justice was restored”.

China has firmly adhered to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and has actively participated in strengthening the organization over the past 50 years, contributing significantly to ensuring global peace and stability, he said.

Hisham AbuBakr Metwally, a researcher at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry, said Xi’s speech confirms China’s consistent commitment to multilateralism since the restoration of its lawful seat in the UN, which is based on respecting countries and international laws, upholding rights and freedoms, and defending rights to build a safer and more prosperous world for all.

He said that China, more recently, has shown its sincerity by, among other things, promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Committee on Defence and National Security, said Xi’s speech is a historic reaffirmation of China’s commitment to the UN Charter and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as well as international law.

“It’s also a powerful call for globalization and for global cooperation on key common issues, be it the coronavirus pandemic or climate change,” he said.

Andy Brooks, general secretary of the New Communist Party of Britain, said he remembers the day the PRC’s seat was restored in the UN. “I was at college at the time and I remember how many of us thought this was a tremendous victory for the struggling peoples of the world,” he said.

Over the past 50 years, China has become a bastion for world peace and international cooperation whose achievements are recognized by millions of people throughout the world, Brooks said.

“We are certain China will make an even greater contribution in the future,” he added.

Chen Yingqun in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn