SCIO briefing on white paper 'More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions'

CCTV:

We have noticed that a growing number of people are concerned that the current international order is sliding back toward the "law of the jungle," where the strong prey on the weak. At the same time, the authority and effectiveness of the United Nations are being weakened. Against this backdrop, how will China uphold multilateralism and support the United Nations in playing a stronger role? Thank you.

Wang Yi:

To answer your question, we need to return to the original aspiration of multilateralism. More than 80 years ago, it was precisely because the international community witnessed the human catastrophe wrought by the "law of the jungle" that nations emerged from the ruins of two World Wars, reflected deeply, and chose to embrace multilateralism and establish the United Nations. Today, the apparent failure of multilateralism is not because the U.N. has become irrelevant. Instead, it is because its authority and role have not been respected and brought into play. The resurgence of the "law of the jungle" is not because the U.N. Charter is outdated, but precisely because the charter has not been effectively observed and upheld.

Faced with mounting global challenges, the pressing priority is to fulfill our obligations under the U.N. Charter, uphold sovereign equality, abide by the rule of international law, and oppose hegemony and bullying. We should actively support the United Nations in playing a central role. Through the U.N. platform, we can build global consensus, coordinate actions among countries, jointly address challenges and continuously reduce the deficit in global governance.

At the same time, we must advance with the times, accelerate the pace of U.N. reform, actively respond to the demands of developing countries, strive to enhance the representation and voice of the Global South, and continuously stimulate the vitality and effectiveness of the U.N.

As the first country to sign the U.N. Charter, China is duty-bound to uphold the U.N.'s authority by advancing the Global Governance Initiative and to work with other countries to reinvigorate and strengthen the United Nations. Thank you.