Increase Confidence and Overcome Difficulties to Build a Better World

Increase Confidence and Overcome Difficulties to Build a Better World*

September 21, 2021

Mr President,

The year 2021 is a truly remarkable one for the Chinese people. It marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China. It is also the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations (UN), a historic event which will be solemnly commemorated by China. We will continue our active efforts to raise China’s cooperation with the UN to a new level and make new and greater contributions to advancing the noble cause of the UN.

Mr President,

A year ago, global leaders attended the high-level meetings marking the 75th anniversary of the UN and issued a declaration pledging to fight Covid-19 in solidarity, tackle challenges together, uphold multilateralism, strengthen the role of the UN, and work for the common future of present and future generations.

One year on, our world is facing the impact of change on a scale unseen in a century, together with the Covid-19 pandemic. In all countries, people long for peace and development more than ever before, their call for equity and justice is growing stronger, and they are more determined to pursue win-win cooperation.

Right now, Covid-19 is still raging around the world, and profound changes are taking place in human society. The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. It falls on each and every responsible political leader to answer the questions of our times and make a historic choice with confidence, courage, and a sense of mission.

First, we must beat Covid-19 and win this decisive fight that is crucial to the future of humanity. The history of world civilization is also one of fighting pandemics. Rising to the challenge, humanity has always triumphed and achieved greater development and progress. The current pandemic may appear overwhelming, but we will surely overcome it and prevail.

We should always put people and their lives first, and care about the life, value and dignity of every individual. We need a spirit, an attitude, and an approach of scientific inquiry to coordinate regular and targeted epidemic prevention and control with emergency response, and coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development. We need to reinforce the coordinated global Covid-19 response and minimize the risk of cross-border virus transmission.

Vaccination is our powerful weapon against Covid-19. I have emphasized on many occasions the need to make vaccines a global public good and ensure vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries. Of pressing urgency is to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally. China will do its best to provide a total of 2 billion doses of vaccine to the world by the end of this year. In addition to donating US$100 million to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccine to other developing countries in the course of this year. China will continue to support and engage in global science-based tracing of Covid-19 origins and stand firmly opposed to political maneuvering in whatever form.

Second, we must revitalize the economy and pursue more robust, greener and more balanced global development. Development holds the key to human wellbeing. Facing the severe shock of Covid-19, we need to work together to steer global development towards a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth. To this end, I would like to propose a Global Development Initiative:

– Committed to development as a priority. We need to put development high on the global macro policy agenda, strengthen policy coordination among major economies, and ensure policy continuity, consistency, and sustainability. We need to foster global development partnerships that are more equal and balanced, forge greater synergy among multilateral development cooperation processes, and speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

– Committed to a people-centered approach. We should safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods and protect and promote human rights through development, and make sure that development is for the people and by the people, and that its fruits are shared among all the people. We should continue our work so that the people will have a greater sense of gain, fulfillment and security, and achieve well-rounded development.

– Committed to benefits for all. We should direct our attention to the special needs of developing countries. We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable countries facing exceptional difficulties, with the emphasis on addressing imbalanced and insufficient development between and within countries.

– Committed to innovation-driven development. We need to seize the historic opportunities created by the new revolution in science, technology and industry, redouble our efforts to harness technological achievements to boost productivity, and foster an open, fair, equitable and nondiscriminatory environment for the development of science and technology. We should foster new drivers of economic growth in the post-Covid era and jointly pursue leapfrog development.

– Committed to harmony between humanity and nature. We need to improve global environmental governance, actively respond to climate change, and create a community of life for humanity and nature. We need to accelerate the transition to a green and low-carbon economy and achieve green recovery and development. China will strive to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. This requires tremendous hard work, and we will make every effort to meet these goals. China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.

– Committed to results-oriented actions. We need to increase input and financing in development, and prioritize cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, food security, Covid-19 response and vaccines, climate change, green development, industrialization, the digital economy, and connectivity. We must also accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to build a global community of shared development. China has pledged an additional US$3 billion of international assistance in the next three years to support other developing countries in responding to Covid19 and promoting economic and social recovery.

Third, we must strengthen solidarity and promote mutual respect and win-win cooperation in international relations. A world of peace and development should embrace civilizations of all forms, and must accommodate diverse paths to modernization. Democracy is not a special right reserved to individual countries, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy. Recent developments in the world show once again that external military intervention and so-called democratic transformation lead to nothing but harm. We need to advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and reject any leaning towards exclusive circles or zero-sum games.

Differences and problems among countries are hardly avoidable, and they need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. One country’s success does not have to come at the expense of another’s failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress among all countries. We need to pursue dialogue and inclusiveness rather than confrontation and exclusion. We need to build a new model of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, and do the best we can to expand the convergence of our interests and achieve the greatest synergy possible.

The Chinese people have always celebrated peace, amity and harmony and striven to pursue that vision. China has never invaded or abused others or sought hegemony, and will never do so. China has consistently been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, and a provider of public goods, and China will continue to bring the world new opportunities through its own development.

Fourth, we must improve global governance and practice true multilateralism. There is only one international system in the world – the international system with the UN at its core. There is only one international order – the international order underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules – the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

The UN should uphold true multilateralism and serve as the central platform for countries to safeguard universal security, share development achievements, and chart the future course of the world. The UN should remain committed to ensuring a stable international order, increasing the representation and say of developing countries in international affairs, and taking the lead in advancing democracy and the rule of law in international relations. The UN should seek balanced progress in the three key areas of security, development and human rights. It should set a common agenda, highlight pressing issues, and focus on real actions, and ensure that commitments made by all parties to multilateralism are truly delivered.

Mr President,

The world is once again at a historic crossroads. I am convinced that the trend of peace, development and progress for humanity is irresistible. Let us gird our loins, jointly address global threats and challenges, and work together to build a global community of shared future and a better world for all.

* Speech at the general debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)