China's great achievements and experience in returning to the United Nations have inspired us

Author: Dai Weilai (Associate Researcher, Institute of Chinese Studies, Fudan University, Ph.D. in Diplomacy)

On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, adopted resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and recognize the representative of the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China in the United Nations. This is a major historical event that marks the return of Chinese, who make up a quarter of the world's population, to the United Nations arena. In the 50 years since its return to the United Nations, China has successively joined a series of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, indicating that China is fully integrated into the mainstream of the global economy. Over the past 50 years, China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order, and a provider of public goods, and has always firmly supported the global governance system with the United Nations as the core, effectively promoted the development and progress of multilateralism, created a good external environment for China's reform and opening up, and opened a new chapter in China's relations with the world.

The first is to fully integrate into the international community. Over the past 50 years, China's relations with the United Nations have been a process of continuous expansion and deep participation, from participation in economic and social affairs to participation in security and human rights affairs, and from participation in the principal organs of the United Nations to full participation in the United Nations system. In April 1974, deng Xiaoping, on behalf of the Chinese government, elaborated on the need to reform the old unequal international economic order and support the establishment of a new international economic order at a special session on raw materials and development in the United Nations General Assembly. After the reform and opening up, China has embarked on the process of fully participating in various UNITED Nations agencies, acceding to various United Nations conventions, and gradually expanding its participation in international multilateral mechanisms.

At present, China has acceded to almost all intergovernmental international organizations and more than 600 international conventions and amendments, participated in all the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and served as the main person in charge of united Nations agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ITU, UNIDO, and ICAO. Major initiatives and initiatives in addressing global climate change, cooperating in coping with public health crises, promoting South-South cooperation, and formulating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and deeply participating in the reform of the global governance system, the "China Plan" has received wide support, so that the universality, representation and authority of the United Nations have been effectively enhanced.

The second is to create a good environment for reform and opening up. China's return to the United Nations has broken the blockade imposed by the United States on China, opened up the external space for China's development, created indispensable conditions for opening up to the outside world, and made it possible for the smooth progress of China's reform and opening up. Launching the Belt and Road Initiative, making it the world's longest span and most promising collaboration belt, will greatly improve the lives of 70% of the world's population and generate new opportunities in almost all industries. So far, China has signed 205 co-construction cooperation agreements with 140 countries and 31 international organizations, with more than 2,600 plans and a total funding of UP TO $3.7 trillion. Under the United Nations multilateral trade framework, China's overall tariff level has fallen below 7.5%, which is lower than that of most countries, the negative list of market access has been shortened to 33 items, and the business environment has improved day by day, becoming one of the most open countries in the world. China has initiated international multilateral institutions such as the BRICS Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Asian Development Bank to promote the development process of regional multilateral trade such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and to effectively participate in and lead international trade reform.

Third, the international status has achieved a historic upgrade. As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China has greatly increased the influence of developing countries in the international governance system. China has developed into the second largest country in the world economy and the role of the most important engine of world economic development, and its status as a global power has been universally recognized. In recent years, China has begun to host international conferences, carry out multilateral diplomacy at home, put forward international cooperation initiatives and create international mechanisms, and take the initiative to set the international agenda. From the holding of the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, to the successful holding of the APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting, the G20 Summit, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the SCO Qingdao Summit, and the BRICS Leaders' Meeting in Xiamen, the Chinese concept and the "China Plan" have become more and more popular. In January 2017, President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, systematically expounding the important concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which aroused widespread resonance. In February 2017, the concept of a "community with a shared future for mankind" was first included in a UNITED Nations resolution at the meeting of the United Nations Commission for Social Development, and has increasingly become an international consensus. In addition, China's voting share in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund has risen to the third place, and international financial institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank of the BRICS countries have been created, and the right to speak internationally, the right to set rules and the right to set agendas have been comprehensively improved.

Fourth, the ability to communicate with the international community and the sense of responsibility have been significantly enhanced. After returning to the United Nations, China's exchanges with other countries, especially those of developing countries, have been upgraded and upgraded, and the all-round diplomatic layout has been expanded. China has established diplomatic relations with 180 countries, established 110 pairs of partnerships of various forms, and built a global network of partnerships. At the same time, China's foreign exchanges and cooperation have shown strong resilience and vitality, providing the international community with necessary and scarce international public goods. It has helped many countries build virus testing laboratories, and has provided nearly 400 billion yuan of development assistance to more than 160 countries and international organizations, dispatched more than 600,000 aid personnel, implemented thousands of complete sets of material assistance projects, and trained more than 400,000 people for various types of personnel in developing countries. At the same time, China's financial contribution to the United Nations and the number of peacekeepers sent by china have been rising, and more than 30,000 peacekeepers have been dispatched, and more than 3,100 Chinese soldiers and policemen are currently on duty for peace in 10 peacekeeping mission areas.

Fifth, it has a broad and firm friendly force. Developing countries have always been the foundation of China's diplomacy, and China has worked with the vast number of international friendly forces to oppose hegemony, hegemony and bullying. The United States and some other Western countries have spread narratives about China's negative information on international multilateral occasions, smearing China, suppressing China, and trying to contain China. On international occasions, some friendly partners have actively spoken out for China. At the United Nations Human Rights Council Review Meeting on November 9, 2020, more than 110 countries jointly wrote a letter criticizing the human rights situation in the United States and making recommendations to the United States. On July 12, 2021, the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council once again adopted the resolution "Development contribution to the enjoyment of all human rights" submitted by China, and Venezuela, Pakistan, Cuba, Cameroon and other countries have spoken in appreciation of China's proposal, stressing that development is of vital importance to all countries, especially developing countries, and without development, the enjoyment of human rights cannot be realized.

The return to the development of the United Nations over the past 50 years has brought us important historical experience. First, we must uphold the party's leadership over diplomatic work. The party's leadership is the soul of China's diplomacy and the fundamental political guarantee for major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Under the leadership of the party, we should adhere to an independent foreign policy of peace, forge a strong diplomatic contingent capable of fighting, expand international multilateral diplomacy, and constantly create a new situation in foreign work. Second, we must persist in taking the United Nations at its core. Faced with the severe challenges brought about by unilateralism, protectionism and bullying in the past few years, China firmly supports multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations. Third, we must adhere to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. That is to say, we must uphold the concept of global governance of consultation, co-construction and sharing, insist that every country's identity is equal, advocate the democratization of international relations, insist that countries are equal regardless of size, strong or weak, rich or poor, and support the expansion of the representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs. Fourth, we must adhere to the concept of mutual benefit and win-win results. Constantly expanding the intersection of interests with all countries in the world, constantly enlarging the cake of common interests, and advocating the new concept of working together in the same boat and win-win cooperation are the successful experiences of China's development in returning to the United Nations, especially in the past 40 years of reform and opening up.

As one of the founding members of the United Nations, China today is also in the first echelon of firmly supporting and maintaining the international system with the United Nations at its core. Standing at a new starting point for the next 50 years and facing major changes unprecedented in a century, China in the new era will firmly safeguard the international order based on international law, the central role of the United Nations in international affairs, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Carry forward the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, advocate and practice true multilateralism, launch The Chinese plan with the Chinese wisdom of "seeking for the world and planning for the world", cooperate to cope with severe global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, promote the reform of the effective, fair and just global governance system, lead the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and comprehensively safeguard world peace and development.

Source: Guangming Network - Theory Channel