BEIJING, Dec. 7 -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe delivered a speech at the 2021 Seoul United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial via video link on December 7.
General Wei said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. For these 50 years, China has always upheld the authority and sanctity of the United Nations, practiced multilateralism, and deepened cooperation with the United Nations steadily.
He stressed that China has faithfully fulfilled its responsibility and mission as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and stood actively for political settlement of disputes through peaceful means. China has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations, and is now the second largest financial contributor to both the United Nations and UN peacekeeping operations. In recent years, the Chinese government and military have fully implemented President Xi Jinping's commitment at the UN Peacekeeping Summit and made significant achievements.
"In the world today, the changes unseen in a century and the global pandemic are intertwined, and the common risks and challenges faced by humanity call for stronger global response together", said General Wei. He pointed out that the peacekeeping operations serve as an important means for the UN to maintain international peace and security, we should sum up experience and constantly improve it based on the UN Charter and the basic principles of peacekeeping.
The Chinese side holds that the UN peacekeeping work should promote peace and development, enhance peacekeeping capabilities, strictly observe the peacekeeping disciplines and devote greater efforts to ensuring the safety of peacekeepers. China will continue to work together with all parties to promote peacekeeping exchanges and cooperation, and make greater new contributions to maintaining world peace, General Wei added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and representatives from over 80 countries attended the conference.