UN chief urges China to play bigger international role (Roundup)

Asia-Pacific News

Jul 2, 2008, 11:26 GMT

Beijing - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged China to play a bigger role in international affairs, as he held a series of meetings with the country's top leaders. 'The United Nations regards China as a strong partner,' Ban told Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi before they began their formal talks. 'The purpose of my visit here is to ask (for an) even more stronger partnership and more participation from your country,' he said. 'You should understand how much importance I take in our partnership and friendship with China,' Ban said. Ban later met President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, who both thanked him for his 'sympathy and support' in the aftermath of the devastating Sichuan earthquake, which killed at least 70,000 people in May. Ban travelled with Wen in late May to Sichuan, praising the Chinese premier's leadership of earthquake relief efforts. In a speech in Beijing on Tuesday, Ban praised China for its growing contribution to UN financing and peacekeeping operations. 'China will need to rise even higher in both rankings if we are to meet growing global challenges,' he said. 'Today, the entire United Nations system expects China to help lead on the international agenda,' Ban said at the China Foreign Affairs University. Ban also said he would push next week's G8 leaders' summit in Japan to honour promises to double aid to Africa and do more to combat infectious diseases. 'The perfect storm of climate change and the food crisis underscore that the international community is in the midst of a development emergency,' he said. He warned that failure to meet UN development goals would 'prove a devastating blow' to relations between rich and poor nations, and would 'strain the relationship between governments and the governed.' Ban also met patients infected with HIV/AIDS at a Beijing hospital on Wednesday and visited the 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium, which will host the opening of the Olympic Games on August 8. He said the Olympic stadium was 'really fantastic' and that he was convinced that the Beijing games 'will be the most successful ever in the history of the Olympic Games.' Ban met Japanese leaders in Japan on Monday and was scheduled to leave China for South Korea on Thursday, before returning to Japan for the G8 summit.

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UN chief urges China to play bigger international role (Roundup)

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