Address by Assistant Foreign Minister Cai Wei Celebrating the United Nations Day

Beijing, October 24, 2025

Your Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, U.N. Resident Coordinator to China,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,

Good afternoon,

It is my great pleasure to celebrate with you the United Nations Day. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the U.N. Over the past eight decades, through trials and hardships, the U.N. has embodied the aspirations of people from around the world, and made vital contributions that are irreplaceable to upholding world peace and promoting sustainable development.

The world has now entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Unilateralism, hegemonism and the Cold War mentality are resurfacing, deficits in peace, development, security and trust are growing even more pronounced, and incessant chaos is indeed disheartening. As the most universal, representative, and authoritative intergovernmental organization, the U.N. now bears a heightened mission and greater responsibilities. As we celebrate its 80th birthday, we should rekindle the spirit that gave birth to this organization, champion the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and firmly safeguard the U.N.-centered international system and the international order based on international law, to join hands to tackle global challenges and advance the well-being of all humanity.

China is a founding member of the U.N., and the first country to sign the U.N. Charter. Amid profound changes in the international landscape, China has all along stood firmly on the right side of history. We have fully supported the cause of the U.N., actively undertaken responsibilities as a major country, and stayed committed to being a contributor to global development, a defender of world peace, a driver of human civilizations, and a builder of international order. We have and will always be a reliable partner of the U.N. Over the years, President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), sharing China's wisdom for addressing international changes and overcoming pressing issues. These ideas, initiatives, and proposals are perfectly in line with the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter. They are also China's solutions for upholding the U.N.'s authority and revitalizing multilateralism under the new circumstances. The four major Global Initiatives, each with its own focus, are entirely compatible. They constitute an organic whole where development promotes prosperity, security ensures stability, civilization deepens trust, and governance advances justice, bringing stability and certainty to a turbulent and fluid world.

The GDI has boosted international cooperation on development. The many thorny issues faced by the international community are fundamentally about development. As progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is seriously lagging behind, and development issues are being politicized and marginalized, the GDI brings focus back to the fundamentals, and calls for development to remain at the very center of all multilateral agendas. Over the past four years since the GDI was proposed, more than 130 countries and international organizations have actively participated in its implementation, over US$23 billion mobilized, and over 1,800 cooperation projects launched. From well drilling and irrigation to building bridges and roads, from the application of juncao technology to the promotion of hybrid rice farming, from major landmark projects to "small and beautiful" livelihood programs, the GDI has demonstrated a more inclusive and sustainable model for international cooperation on development, and injected strong impetus to a faster implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The GSI has advocated dialogue and consultation in resolving international disputes. In a world far from tranquil, where regional conflicts keep flaring up, the U.N.'s mission to secure lasting peace for the world remains as daunting as ever. Proceeding from the basic fact that all countries are in the same global village, the GSI champions the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and advocates peaceful resolution of differences, which is in line with the goal of the New Agenda for Peace proposed by Secretary General António Guterres. Four days ago, the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was officially inaugurated in Hong Kong, marking the latest tangible implementation of the GSI. The IOMed, while complementary with current mechanisms, provides a new means for parties to peacefully resolve international disputes, and will continue to pool international consensus and strength in tackling global security challenges.

The GCI is committed to promoting exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. Diversity of civilizations is a common treasure of human society, and inclusiveness and mutual learning is an essential part of multilateralism. In the course of history, different civilizations have engaged with each other, contributed to each other's development, and jointly promoted the development of human society. In response to the international call for greater dialogue and exchanges, the GCI champions exchanges to overcome estrangement between civilizations, mutual learning to prevent their clashes, and coexistence to overcome a false sense of superiority. Dialogue and engagement will help different civilizations draw wisdom from each other, find solutions to complex challenges, and broaden the world's path toward modernization. Last year, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution cosponsored by China and over 80 other countries, designating the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. This has provided a new platform for the international community to remove bias and misperception and enhance mutual understanding and trust.

The GGI commits to and practices true multilateralism. The international landscape is undergoing profound changes. With the rise of the Global South as a group, redressing historical injustice and shaping international fairness and justice have become a shared aspiration of the vast majority of countries. The GGI follows the historical trend of multipolarity in the world and the call of the times for the U.N. reform and strengthening. It centers on adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions, in a bid to build a more just and equitable global governance system. Upon its proposal, the GGI received enthusiastic responses from the international community, with over 140 countries and international organizations clearly expressing their welcome and support. Under the guidance of the GGI, China will work with all parties to firmly uphold the authority and central role of the U.N., support the U.N. in implementing the Pact for the Future with a view to more effectively addressing the challenges of the times.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Yesterday, the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was successfully concluded. Participants at the session deliberated over and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, outlining the objectives and tasks for the next five years. The Chinese economy is on solid foundations, demonstrating advantages in many areas, strong resilience and great potential. The conditions and underlying trends supporting long-term growth remain unchanged. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, China will continue to stay firmly committed to high-quality development, promote high-standard opening up, and create new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation. It is foreseeable that China's high-quality development will continue to open up more development opportunities and even broader prospects for development to the world.

Many of the friends present today are from the U.N. development agencies and undertake the noble mission of implementing the 2030 Agenda. U.N. development agencies resident in China made positive contributions to China's reform and opening up. I would like to take this opportunity to extend sincere gratitude to all colleagues from these agencies. In June this year, China signed the U.N. Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for China for a new period with the U.N. Many U.N. development agencies also adopted new country programs for China, drawing a blueprint for our cooperation in the next five years. In the coming years, we look forward to your continued support for and participation in Chinese modernization. It is also hoped that the U.N. agencies resident in China will help us tap into the U.N.'s extensive global reach to share our development visions and experience with other developing countries with a view to making even greater contributions to the common development of all countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

After an 80-year journey, the U.N. has entered a new historical stage. Cooperation between China and the U.N. has also come to a new historical starting point. In the new era, China is ready to work with all parties to act on the four major Global Initiatives, respond to global challenges in solidarity, press ahead in pursuit of the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity, and work together for a better future.

Thank you.