China's Permanent Mission to the UN and China Image Group jointly held a photo exhibition at the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the UN.

The photo exhibition titled "Promoting Shared Prosperity for a Peaceful Future" features vivid images showing the important role of the UN Charter in global peace and development and China's unremitting efforts and great contributions to realizing the ideals of the UN and human development and progress.

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, said that each of these photos tells a part of the history and there is vivid story behind them.

"The development of the UN can't happen without China's engagement. The restoration of China's lawful seat in the UN makes the UN truly representative, complete, and authoritative," he said. "China has received support and assistance from the UN in all aspects, and the UN also provides an important platform for China to play its due role in international affairs."

Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, and many other UN senior officials and representatives from UN member states viewed the exhibition. They all spoke highly of China's role in the UN and expect to work closely with China to promote multilateralism and the work of the United Nations.

Here are some historical photos displayed in the exhibition reflecting on China's 50 years in the UN.   

In April 1945, the United Nations Conference on International Organization was held in San Francisco. The Chinese delegation, including Dong Biwu, a representative of the Communist Party of China (CPC), attended the meeting. On June 25, the San Francisco conference held a plenary session and unanimously adopted the Charter of the United Nations. China became one of the founding members of the United Nations and one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

On April 26, 1954, the People's Republic of China attended the Geneva Conference for the first time as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

In October 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, restoring all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations.

In April 1974, Deng Xiaoping, then Chinese vice premier, led the Chinese delegation in the Sixth Special Session of the UN General Assembly. It was the first time for an important Chinese government leader to stand on the platform of the UN and fully elaborate on China's foreign policy and program to the world after the People's Republic of China resumed its lawful seat in the United Nations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the general debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, and delivered a speech titled "Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind" at the UN on Sept. 28, 2015. 

China's first "blue helmet peacekeepers," the military engineering brigade, headed for Cambodia to shoulder UN peacekeeping operations in April 1992, setting a precedent for the Chinese military to take part in UN peacekeeping operations.

During their stay in Cambodia, they assisted in repairing roads, bridges, airports and large oil depot platforms. They were hailed for their efforts by the United Nations' highest authority in Cambodia during the transitional period.

Since 1975, China has been entrusted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to hold training courses on freshwater fish farming. In May 1978, China held the third edition of training courses on freshwater fish farming in Guangzhou for fishery workers from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Since the launch of manned space activities worldwide, China was the third country carrying the United Nations flag in such activities and the first carrying the flag during its first manned space flight. On May 19, 2004, at the invitation of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Yang Liwei handed over the UN flag that was taken to the space to Annan at UN headquarters. 

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