Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, briefed Chinese and foreign media via video link on Tuesday, calling on the international community to further prioritize the issue of development.

This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China's lawful seat at the UN.

China-UN cooperation

Zhang called the seat restoration "a milestone in the history of China's diplomacy, a victory for New China's diplomacy, a victory for justice and fairness in the world, and a victory for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."

China has held and will continue to hold various kinds of commemorative events to review the past, look forward to the future and deepen China-UN cooperation, he said, adding that with concrete actions, China has contributed to meeting global challenges and supporting the UN in playing a bigger role.

He listed concrete actions in several areas, such as international cooperation against COVID-19 pandemic, global common development, climate change, true multilateralism, and the political settlement of hotspot issues. 

"President Xi Jinping's United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) statement and the participation of the Chinese delegation during the high-level week again shows that China is always a builder of world peace, a contributor of global development, a defender of international order, and a provider of public goods," he said.

Noting Xi's Global Development Initiative at the UNGA, he highlighted "extensive consultation, jointed contribution and shared benefits" of the initiative, and called on the UN and the international community to further prioritize the issue of development.

Addressing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

He also touched on the Afghanistan issue, stressing that the pressing task in the country right now is to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

"The international community should work together to help Afghanistan tide over the trying time and realize peace and stability as soon as possible," he said.

"The freezing of much of Afghanistan's overseas assets has intensified the humanitarian situation in the country. Those assets belong to Afghanistan and should be used for Afghanistan. They should not be used as a leverage to exert political pressure onto Afghanistan." 

On the new Afghan government and its representation at the UN, the ambassador said that China will consider various factors and make decisions based on a full analysis. 

World benefits from China-U.S. cooperation

China always advocates building a China-U.S. relationship featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, he said, stressing that China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect are critical in addressing differences and problems, Zhang said. 

"One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries," he said referring to the solution for China-U.S. relations and other major-country relations.

"We hope the U.S. will also walk the walk by truly abandoning the Cold War mentality, stopping provoking confrontation, and stopping interfering in China's internal affairs in the name of human rights," he added.