China Grilled U.S. Hegemony at the UN

On Sep 28, Wang Yi, China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the 79th session of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York. He delivered a speech titled "Building on Past Achievements, Forging Ahead, and Working Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind." Here’s the full text of his remarks, compiled from the official UN simultaneous interpretation:
September 29, 2024
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Top picks selected by the China Academy's editorial team from Chinese media, translated and edited to provide better insights into contemporary China.
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Mister president, colleagues.

Today, humanity has once again come to a historical crossroads. We are facing a changing and turbulent world. Challenges of insecurity, imbalanced development and ineffective governance are increasingly prominent. Hotspot conflicts, major country confrontation, and geopolitical tensions keep emerging. The future of this planet is becoming a cause for growing concern.

Meanwhile, we are also embracing a world full of hope. Multi polarity and globalization have become the unstoppable trend of our times. The aspirations of the global south nations for modernization have never been stronger. Our stride toward modernization has never been more steadfast. This institution, the United Nations, embodies the aspirations of people across the world for lasting peace and common prosperity, and bears witness to the glorious journey of the international community coming together in pursuit of progress.

President Xi Jinping stressed on multiple occasions that the role of the UN should be strengthened, not weakened. Amid global transformation not seen in a century. What China calls for is to follow the trend of the times, keep to the direction of human progress and make the right choices of history. What China proposes is to uphold peaceful coexistence and put in place a security architecture that ensures enduring stability, uphold openness and inclusiveness, and foster a development paradigm that promotes shared prosperity, uphold harmony without uniformity, and adopt an approach to civilizations that promotes exchange and mutual learning, and adopt fairness and justice and develop a governance structure that pulls strength for shared benefit.

In today’s world, the security of all countries is tied together in face of various kinds of global challenges and risks. No one can stay immune or enjoy security alone. Countries need to be guided by a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We should respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, take the legitimate security concerns of others seriously, and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation. We should actively explore a path for major countries to coexist in peace and work for a new type of international relations characterized by mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation.

In today’s world, the development of all countries is deeply integrated. If the rich get richer, while the poor remain poor, then everyone is born equal, would become an empty slogan, and fairness and justice would be even more elusive.

Achieving modernization is a legitimate right of the people of all countries, not a prerogative of a few. We should be committed to advancing global modernization and ensure that no one and no country is left behind on the journey toward modernization. We should advocate a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, unequivocally oppose unilateralism and protectionism and help developing countries leap over the development, divide to maintain the vitality of global economic growth.

In today’s world, each civilization has its own strength. President Xi Jinping pointed out that there is no such thing as the superior or inferior civilization and civilizations are different, only in identity and location. We should respect the diversity of civilizations and strive to replace estrangement and clash of civilizations with exchanges and mutual learning. We should advocate humanity’s common values, namely peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom. Refrain from conducting values-oriented diplomacy and oppose ideology-based confrontation. We should respect each other as equals and help each other succeed with an inclusive mind.

In today’s world, countries should all enjoy sovereign equality. As a large number of global south nations are growing with a strong momentum. Gone are the days when one or two major powers call the shots on everything. We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and see that all countries, regardless of their size, have their own place and role in the multipolar system. We should practice true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism and power politics, and make international relations more democratic. We should follow the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits and make global governance more just and equitable.

Mister president, peace is the most precious thing in our world today. You may wonder if there is a path leading to peace, in fact, peace is the path. Without peace, development will not sustain. Without peace, cooperation cannot happen. For the sake of peace, a single ray of hope is reason enough, not to give up. The slightest chance deserves 100-fold effort.

An end to the Ukraine crisis remains elusive. The top priority is to commit to no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no provocation by any party, and push for de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible. China is committed to playing a constructive role engaging in shuttle mediation, and promoting talks for peace, not throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains.
At this session of the general assembly, China, Brazil, and other countries in the global south have jointly launched the group of friends for peace. Its very purpose is to uphold the purposes and principles of the un charter build consensus for a political settlement of the crisis and contribute to a prospect of peace.

The question of Palestine is the biggest wound to human conscience. As we speak, the conflict in Gaza is still going on causing more casualties with each passing day. Fighting has started in Lebanon again, but might cannot replace justice. Palestine’s long held aspiration to establish an independent state should not be shunned anymore, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people should not be ignored anymore. There must not be any delay in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, and the fundamental way out lies in the two-state solution.

China has always been a staunch supporter of the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights and a staunch supporter of Palestine full UN membership.
We have recently helped to bring about breakthroughs in intra Palestine, reconciliation, and will continue to work in concert with like-minded countries for a comprehensive and just settlement of the question of Palestine and durable peace and stability in the middle east.

The issue of Afghanistan concerns regional peace and security. It is important to help the country exercise prudent governance, fight terrorism effectively, improve people’s life and reinvigorate the economy, to create a better life or future for the people of Afghanistan.

The Korean peninsula should not experience war again. The important thing is to make persistent efforts for de-escalation, commit to seeking solutions through dialogue and consultation, realize a transition from the armistice to a peace mechanism and safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula.

China is deeply aware that Asia needs stability and development and opposes division and conflict. As an important origin of human civilization and a key engine of global growth, Asia has the wisdom and copy and capability to stabilize the situations through regional cooperation and handle differences properly through dialogue and consultation. We are firmly against the meddling by countries outside the region, and will firmly resist attempts by any force to stoke trouble and confrontation in the region.

Mister president, as the world faces increasingly serious challenges, China has never opted to be an indifferent spectator. Instead, we’ve been playing a bigger part in global governance than ever before. President Xi Jinping has put forth the global development initiative, the global security initiative and the global civilization initiative in recent years. They carry China’s wisdom for resolving various difficult issues confronting humanity and bring impetus from China for improving global governance.

In the face of uneven and inadequate global development, China’s proposal is to put development at the top of the global agenda, focus on delivering the sustainable development goals of the un 2030 agenda, increase input in development, and help developing countries better respond to different risks and challenges.

At the recent Beijing summits of the full Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) on China-Africa cooperation, president Xi Jinping outlined ten partnership actions to be taken together with Africa to advanced modernization, and announced the decision to give over 40 LDCs, including those in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100% tariff lines.

China is the first major developing country and the first major economy to take such a significant step.

In the face of unilateral bullying acts, such as sanctions and blockade, China firmly supports countries in defending their legitimate rights, upholding the equity and openness of the international system, making global development more coordinated and beneficial for all, and jointly opposing technology blockade, and rejecting decoupling or severing supply chains.

Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages, suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home. The right of people of all countries to pursue a better life should not be taken away. Here, we once again urge the United States to completely lift its blockade sanctions and terrorism related designation against Cuba.

In the face of aggravating ecological challenges, China is firmly committed to a path of green, low carbon and sustainable development. We will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in world history, contributing China’s efforts to harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

At the global level, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld, and the Paris agreement must be implemented in earnest. Developed countries should assist developing countries in developing their capacity to cope with climate change. Touting the need of climate response while suppressing the green industries of others will only hold back global progress toward green transition.

In the face of burgeoning artificial intelligence, China is committed to taking a people centered approach, developing AI for good and putting equal emphasis on development and security. We are working to explore and establish widely recognized international rules and standards. China supports the UN role as the main channel for global AI governance and is committed to strengthening international cooperation on AI capacity building. China has put forth the AI capacity building action plan for good and for all. We are ready to make more contribution to the sound orderly, fair, and inclusive development of AI.

In the face of the task of human rights protection, China maintains that all countries right to independently choose their path of human rights development should be respected. No country should impose its own will on others, or interfere in other’s internal affairs in the name of human rights. In human rights protection, China is committed to putting people first and promoting the free and well-rounded development of the people. We have found a path of human rights development that suits China’s national conditions. China is ready to engage in equal footed dialogue and exchanges with all countries and UN human rights bodies and jointly promote the sound development of the global human rights calls.

Mister president, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the history and the reality. Both the Cairo declaration and the possum proclamation stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, such as Taiwan and the Penghu islands shall be restored to China. This constitutes an important part of the post war international order.

Right here in this General Assembly Hall, 53 years ago, the 26th session of the UN general assembly adopted resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all the rights of the People’s Republic of China at the un to recognize the representatives of the government of the People’s Republic of China, as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN and to expel the representatives of the Taiwan region from the UN and all the organizations related to it.

Once and for all the resolution resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan and the UN. It made clear that there is no such thing as two China’s or one China, one Taiwan. On this matter, of principle, there is no gray zone or room for ambiguity. The complete reunification of China will be achieved.

Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland. This is the overwhelming trend of history that no one and no force can stop.

Mister president, in a few days’ time, the People’s Republic of China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding. Over the past 75 years, no matter how the world changes, China’s dedication has not changed. It is dedicated to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also dedicated to human progress and world harmony.

In the course of seeking its own development, China has kept in mind the common interests of the whole world, generating new opportunities for the world through its own development.

Not long ago, the third plenum of the 20th CPC central committee made an important decision on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. It will set in motion a new journey where China joins hands with the world in common development and progress. Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to world peace.

The Chinese culture values, peace and the Chinese nation has no tradition of external expansion. China, once a victim of foreign power bullying, knows full well the value of peace and the hard-won gains of development. In fact, China is the only major country that has written peaceful development into its constitution, and the only country among the five nuclear weapons states to pledge no first use of nuclear weapons. We are actively exploring and putting into practice the Chinese way of addressing hotspot issues, boosting the prospects for resolving the security dilemma and improving security governance, and paving the ground for conflict settlement and peace building.

Every step in China’s development is an increase in the force for peace. Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to common development for all. China does not only care about its own development, we are ready to develop hand in hand with all countries. By further expanding high standard opening up, China is aligning pro-actively with high standard international economic and trade rules to foster a market oriented, law based and world class business environment.

China has realized full mutual visa exemption with many countries and is expanding its unilateral visa waiver program to facilitate two-way personnel flows. China is vigorously promoting high quality belt and road cooperation, a concrete step to the to support the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. China will also speed up the implementation of the eight measures in support of global south cooperation and a series of initiatives supporting Africa’s peace and development, in order to help countries in the global south stride toward modernization.

Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to improving global governance. China has been an abiding supporter of the un continued reform and development to bring about a modernized UN 2.0. The international financial system needs to be more fit for the times, and global governance should be more balanced and effective. China will continue to fulfill its international obligations, provide financial support and send our best minds to the United Nations. The UN system needs to respond to the legitimate calls of developing countries and increase the representation and voice of those in the global south.
Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to the advancement of human civilization.

Chinese modernization is rooted in China, but has also drawn on the achievements of other civilizations. It has created a new form of human advancement and provided a new choice to other countries in exploring the modernization paths. China advocates that different civilizations respect and learn from each other to jointly advance the cause of human civilization.

China has proposed the setting up of an International Day for dialogue among civilizations. We call for more people-to-people exchanges and cooperation across the world to promote understanding and amity among people around the world.

Mister president next year will Mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the world anti-fascist war and the founding of this very organization. China stands ready to work with all countries to renew the founding purposes and mission of the UN reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the UN charter. Advocate and practice true multilateralism build a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly usher in a better world.

Thank you.

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Top picks selected by the China Academy's editorial team from Chinese media, translated and edited to provide better insights into contemporary China.
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