Dear Mr. Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator in China,

Distinguished Guests,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we are glad to host this reception, the first one jointly held by China and the Offices of the United Nations and other international organizations in China, to bid farewell to the old year and greet the new year. On behalf of the Foreign Ministry and in my own name, I wish to extend a warm welcome and best New Year wishes to you.

The world today continues to be in profound change. Mankind faces rare opportunities for development, but it is also confronted with many threats and challenges. Peace, development and cooperation remain the general trend of the times. To advance multilateralism is the common aspiration and pursuit of the international community.

The multilateral system with the United Nations at the core is tasked to realize the goal of the human society to achieve enduring peace and common prosperity. Over the past 61 years, the United Nations has come a long way. It has contributed greatly to upholding world peace and promoting common development and is playing a growing and irreplaceable role in international affairs. More than ever before, the world needs a strong United Nations in the new era.

Over a year ago, world leaders gathered at the UN headquarters where they reached consensus on strengthening multilateralism and the role of the United Nations and charted the course for the future of the organization. The international community is working to implement the commitment of the summit and accelerate the UN reform to inject fresh vitality into the organization. We have every confidence in the future of the United Nations and the future of multilateralism.

Distinguished Guests,

China is a staunch supporter of the multilateral system with the United Nations at the core, and it acts in strict compliance with the Charter of the United Nations. China supports the United Nations in playing the leading role in upholding global peace and security and its advocacy of dialogue and cooperation and opposition to willful resort to pressure or force. China supports the United Nations in making greater contribution to promoting common development, and in its effort to strengthen development mechanisms, ensuring development resources and creating an enabling external environment for developing countries. China supports the United Nations in playing its due role in promoting international human rights. We hope the Human Rights Council will endeavor to enhance constructive cooperation and steer clear of the old path of political confrontation. China also supports strengthening the UN authority and role and improving its capacity to respond to threats and challenges through necessary and proper reform. In particular, priority should be given to development in carrying out UN reform.

Dear Friends,

China is a founding member of the United Nations and it enjoys fruitful cooperation with UN agencies. In particular, over the past two decades and more, you have witnessed the progress China has made in its reform and opening up endeavor. You have been actively involved in China's development drive and have become an important partner of China. I wish to say a big thank you to the United Nations and its agencies for their support, and I wish to thank you for the excellent work of the representative offices in China. As a developing country, China still faces many challenges in development. I am sure we can continue to count on the support and assistance from the UN agencies represented here today and the international community.

In the future, the United Nations and other international organizations which are committed to multilateralism will play an even bigger role in solving global issues. China will, guided by the UN Charter, continue to work with the United Nations and other international agencies as well as other members of the international community "to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom".

Let me conclude my remarks by quoting a Chinese couplet. "Thousands of beautiful silk rolls have been unrolled in the Year of Dog; hundreds of steps will be climbed in the Year of Pig." Please join me in a toast,

To world peace and development,

To cooperation between China and the United Nations, and

To the health of all our guests, friends and colleagues present.

Cheers!

Do have a pleasant and enjoyable evening!