On September 28, 2004, during his presence at the 59th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing met respectively with the Papua New Guinean, Indian, Ukrainian, Eritrean, Indonesian, Iranian and Ethiopian foreign ministers as well as members of the high-level elite group on the UN reform and held consultation with foreign ministers of member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and permanent representatives to the UN.

When meeting with Indian Foreign Minster Singh, Li Zhaoxing said that China sincerely hopes to develop good-neighborly and friendly relations of equality and mutual benefit. Next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the two sides should make concerted efforts to continuously deepen understanding and friendship between the two peoples and push for friendly cooperation in various fields in an all-round manner. Singh expressed his satisfaction with the status quo of India-China relations and reaffirmed that India attaches great importance to and will continue committing itself to developing India-China ties. The two sides also exchanged views on the UN reform and regional hot issues.

When meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda, Li Zhaoxing stressed that to develop long-term friendly cooperation with Indonesia is China's set foreign policy. China respects the choice by the Indonesian people and would like to continue deepening cooperation between the two countries in multilateral and bilateral areas after the Indonesian general election. The two sides also discussed regional security and other issues.

When meeting respectively with Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Seid Abdellah and Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, Li Zhaoxing emphasized that China gives priority to relations with developing countries and stands ready to further promote cooperation with the African Union. The two sides should jointly push the international community for attaching importance to the issues of African peace and development.

Both Li Zhaoxing and Iranian Foreign Minister Harazi expressed aspiration for further developing China-Iran relations. Li Zhaoxing thanked Iran for its resolute support on the issues related to Taiwan and human rights. The two sides also exchanged views on the Iraqi situation and the Iranian nuclear issue.

In the consultation with the GCC, Li Zhaoxing stressed that the GCC is China's important cooperation partner. The group visit by the finance ministers of 6 countries has opened a new chapter for the development of bilateral ties. There are huge potentials for cooperation between China and the Gulf countries in economy, energy resources, culture and education and further efforts should be taken to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in these areas. The GCC countries highly appreciated China's important role in international and regional affairs and reaffirmed they will follow the one-China policy. The two sides also discussed anti-terrorism, the UN reform, the Iraqi issue, the Middle East situation and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Li Zhaoxing briefed the members of the high-level elite group on the UN reform about China's views and stance on the issue of the UN reform, stressing that the priority of the reform should be addressing the development issue and pushing for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. The members of the high-level elite group on the UN reform indicated that China is the permanent member of the UN Security Council and the largest developing country and expressed their hope that China can continue supporting the work of the elite group and make joint efforts with it to contribute to the enhancement of the UN's role.