UN at 80: China recounts partnership in global peace

China has reaffirmed its partnership with the UN and commitment to global peace, stability and shared development, as the world body marks its 80th anniversary.

The reaffirmation came as China unveiled a documentary entitled, “The UN at 80: China’s Perspective”.

It was produced by China Global Television Network (CGTN).

The documentary retraced the defining moments of the UN’s eight-decade history and highlighted China’s contributions to global governance, peacekeeping and sustainable development.

Founded in 1945 after World War II, the UN was established to promote peace, security and cooperation among nations.

Over the years, it has become the world’s largest multilateral platform for dialogue and collective actions.

China, a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has played an active role in the multilateral organisation.

CGTN host, Tian Wei guided viewers through the UN’s evolution, noting that the organisation was conceived to prevent future wars and uphold shared responsibility among nations.

She said that lasting peace would depend on collective understanding and global commitment.

She added that UN’s creation had brought remarkable progress in healthcare, education and opportunities, especially for women and girls.

Zhang Baijia, Historian of the Communist Party of China, recalled that China played a key role in establishing the UN as one of the major allied powers during World War II.

He said that China’s participation in the anti-fascist war and post-war rebuilding efforts made it one of the first signatories to the UN Charter in San Francisco, underscoring its early and enduring commitment to multilateralism.

Wang Zhijia, a former UN adviser, said that China’s delegation made a strong impression at the 1972 Stockholm Conference, the country’s first major environmental engagement as a UN member.

He described this as a turning point in China’s leadership on global environmental cooperation, a view echoed by Qu Geping, China’s first permanent representative to the UN Environment Programme.

Qu emphasised the importance of sustainable urban development, referencing Beijing’s Miyun Reservoir project as an example of balanced planning that supported growth while protecting nature.

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Also, Gertrude Mongella, a former Secretary-General of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, said that the event marked a milestone for global advocacy on women’s rights.

She noted that women had continued to contribute to China’s economic progress, and cited Tanzania’s female president as evidence of Africa’s advancement toward gender equality.

“Gender equality must move beyond aspiration to tangible progress, reflecting the UN’s global vision for inclusive development,” she said.

At the recent 23rd Lanting Forum in Beijing, Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister described the UN as the bedrock of world peace and development over the past 80 years.

He warned, however, that unilateralism and emerging global cchallenges were threatening to undermine multilateral cooperation.

“Eighty years later, the dregs of unilateralism are stirring up again, and global challenges are emerging one after another.

“The world must now find ways to reform and improve global governance to reflect the realities of a multipolar world,” Wang said.

Wang highlighted President Xi Jinping’s recently launched Global Governance Initiative (GGI) as China’s contribution to shaping that reform.

The initiative, he said, promoted five core principles – sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and pragmatic cooperation, all rooted in the UN Charter.

“The GGI builds on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reflects the fine tradition of Chinese diplomacy, and upholds the vision of a shared future,” he said.

According to him, China supports the ongoing UN reform efforts and will continue working with all countries to strengthen cooperation in poverty reduction, infrastructure, education and health.

(NAN)