Wang Huiyao’s Speech at CCG-UN China symposium
November 02 , 2021
On Nov. 2nd, 2021, the United Nations in China and the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) co-hosted a symposium to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN at CCG’s Beijing headquarters.
Dr. Wang Huiyao, Founder & President of CCG, gave his opening remarks at the symposium.
Full text of his remarks is as below:
His Excellencies, distinguished guests and experts, ladies and gentlemen ,
Firstly, I would like to welcome everyone on behalf of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) at today’s special occasion. We are honored to collaborate with UN China to celeberate “China and the United Nations: 50 years and beyond”, to commemorate the restoration of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations, jointly-hosted by the United Nations in China and CCG. Today, honorable representatives from the UN system, Chinese government officials, representatives from embassies and international organizations in China and experts are gathered here to share insights and stories of the friendship and cooperation between China and the UN and look forward to the future.
During a dialogue I had with my friend Kishore Mahbubani, someone who worked in the UN for 10 years as an ex-Singaporean Ambassador the UN and president of the UN security council, he told me that he loves the UN and thinks the UN is one of the most wonderful organizations in the world and the UN Charter is the one of the most beautiful documents in the world. As a globalist and an advocate for multilateralism, I, too, feel the same way and share the vision of his and everyone here for the UN to continue to make the world a better place. The United Nations General Assembly is a crucial place to unite everyone in every corner of the world, address global issues, and push forward sustainable development goals for the future of mankind and our beloved planet. As a matter of fact, we are gathered here against the background of COP 26 in Glasgow, which is organized by the UN.
50 years in, amid constant changes and shifts in the global context, China’s participation to the UN system has made significant advancements; improved its status in the international community; contributed to global unity and initiatives with resilience. It has been a story of changemaking. It has become a major contributor to the peacekeeping force of the UN, aiming to protect civilians and promote peace and stability for those who are in need. China’s efforts in eliminating extreme poverty and setting agenda for SDGs have renewed hope for not only itself but also other developing countries. Further, China has been a strong supporter of south-south cooperation for her friends in the UN to ensure inclusive growth and prosperity for all. In July this year, China issued “China’s VNR Report on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, sticking to the path of implementing the SDGs. Last month, during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Kunming, China pledged 1.5 million RMB (223 million US dollars) in support of biodiversity protection in developing countries and successfully pushed forward the Kunming Declaration. As we embark on the next journey, I sincerely hope that the future of China and the UN will be one with concrete actions and greater openness, to deliver more networked multilateralism and promote inclusive growth for all member states in the UN.
CCG and the UN agencies in China have also embraced great friendship and built a strong rapport for many years and we really appreciate the support and collaboration with UN China. Together, we have co-organized a great number of past events including CCG annual China and Globalization Forum, annual China Inbound-Outbound Forum, and other seminars and roundtables involving topics of global governance and sustainable development including the Annual Silk and Spices Road Dialogue and Himalayan Consencus Dialogue. We truly appreciate this friendship and the help from UN in China. As the only think tank in China granted Special Consultative Status by the United Nations ECOSOC and one of the world’s top 100 Chinese non-governmental think tanks, CCG has been actively engaging in conducting multilateral research, advancing multilateral activities and promoting multilateralism under the UN Charter.
Facing unprecedented changes and challenges in today’s world owing to the pandemic, climate change, widening inequalities, the rise of populism and deglobalization, the reinvigoration of multilateralism and the upgrading of the UN is urgently needed. China and the UN are the forefront of this endeavour. It is my earnest hope that the friendship between China and the UN would continue ever strong, the bond between CCG and UN China would endure, and multilateralism would flourish. I wish our afternoon discussions to be a success. Thank you all very much!
