Premier Li Qiang Addresses the 80th UN General Assembly, Calls for Peace and Cooperation
Chinese Premier Li Qiang addressed the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling for global cooperation and peaceful resolution of disputes. He warned against prioritizing power over truth, stating that such actions lead to global unrest and decline. His speech emphasized the importance of dialogue and consultation over confrontation and the necessity of upholding genuine multilateralism.
Li Qiang's Key Arguments
Premier Li underscored the lessons learned from history, noting that "when power trumps truth, the world descends into turmoil and decline." He emphasized that fairness and justice are vital for stability and prosperity, cautioning against a return to a "law of the jungle" mentality. He stressed that both interests and principles must be considered, especially by major powers, advocating for equality among nations and genuine multilateralism to protect the rights of all.
- Importance of peace and development as common aspirations.
- Unity and cooperation as powerful forces for progress.
- Fairness and justice as essential values for the international community.
China's Role and Commitments
Li Qiang affirmed China's commitment to global affairs and human well-being, highlighting President Xi Jinping's initiatives for a shared future and global governance. He outlined four proposals: fostering peace, sharing security, revitalizing cooperation for mutual benefit, and promoting dialogue among diverse civilizations.
Key Initiatives and Proposals
The Premier announced the establishment of a China-UN Global South-South Development Support Mechanism, with a budget of $10 million USD, and a global sustainable development center in Shanghai, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). These initiatives aim to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Call for Global Cooperation and Shared Future
Li Qiang urged nations to reject unilateralism and protectionism, advocating for inclusive globalization. He emphasized China's steady economic development and continued opening-up, affirming the country's ability to support global economic growth. He also cautioned against ideological divides and promoted respect for diverse civilizations.
He reiterated China's dedication to world peace and development, stating, "A stable, developing, and highly open China will bring more new opportunities to all countries. A China with global vision and a strong sense of responsibility will inject more positive energy into the world."
On Economic Globalization
Premier Li also noted the importance of avoiding protectionist measures and trade wars.
"Now the world economy is sluggish and困厄, a very important reason is the increase in unilateralism and protectionism measures such as tariff sticks and 'building walls', and everyone will ultimately suffer together," Li Qiang said.
Concluding Remarks
In closing, Premier Li Qiang conveyed China's dedication to the ideals of the United Nations and multilateralism, expressing a commitment to contribute to a more harmonious and prosperous world. He stated China's resolve to contribute to global peace, development, and human progress.
Premier Li Qiang's Full Speech
Here is the full text of Premier Li Qiang's speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Eighty years ago, countless people with lofty ideals around the world fought one after another, defeating fascism through arduous battles, and established the United Nations with the ideal of never fighting again.
The United Nations is an important achievement of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Its establishment is a historical attempt by mankind to learn from the pain of the two World Wars and get rid of the law of the jungle. It has opened up an extraordinary journey of building a post-war international order and pursuing peaceful development. After 80 years of trials and hardships, the United Nations has become the most universal, representative and authoritative intergovernmental international organization in the world today, playing an irreplaceable important role in global governance. It is precisely because an international system with the United Nations as its core and an international order based on international law have been established that human society has achieved overall peace and ushered in unprecedented development and prosperity. After 80 years of vicissitudes, the wheels of history have crossed the century, and human society has gone through the era of electrification, the era of computers, and has entered the era of digitization and intelligence. Although the environment in which human beings live and develop has changed significantly, the pursuit of a better world has never changed. Looking back on the past, we can draw some valuable lessons.
First, peace and development are the most ardent common aspirations of people of all countries. Throughout human history, although the haze of war and conflict has never completely dissipated, no force has ever been able to prevent people from rising up to restore peace and working hard to achieve development. Having experienced two world wars, we must never forget the painful lessons learned from blood and life. In the past 80 years, overall peace in the world has given birth to enormous growth in the global economy, and now the international community's desire to promote peace and development is even stronger. It is our generation's unshirkable responsibility to further strengthen the forces of peace and development.
Second, unity and cooperation are the most powerful source of strength for human progress. In the glorious years of the World Anti-Fascist War, countries with different social systems and different historical cultures overcame differences and fought side by side, ultimately winning victory. In the subsequent 80 years, countries have continued to withstand the severe tests of Cold War confrontation, financial crises, and pandemics through communication and cooperation. These all prove a simple and profound truth, that is, unity leads to progress, while division leads to loss. No matter how many difficulties and challenges there are on the road ahead, as long as all countries unite and cooperate sincerely, they can gather enormous strength to overcome all adverse currents and obstacles.
Third, fairness and justice are the most important values pursued by the international community. Over the past 80 years, from the collapse of the old colonial system to the establishment of the current international order and the improvement of international rule of law practices, the course of history has constantly reminded people that when power overrides truth, the world will fall into turmoil and decline, and when fairness and justice are promoted, society can move towards stability and prosperity. If human society regresses to the era of the law of the jungle where the weak are prey to the strong, it will inevitably face more bloodshed and brutality. In this world, we must not only talk about interests, but also talk about morality, especially for major countries. Only by adhering to the equality of all countries, regardless of size, and practicing true multilateralism can the rights and interests of all parties be better protected.
Every review of history should help us adjust our current direction to avoid going astray. At present, the world is entering a new period of turbulence and change. Unilateralism and the Cold War mentality are making a comeback. The international rules and order that have been in place for 80 years have been severely impacted, and the international system that once worked has been repeatedly destroyed, causing all kinds of chaos that are heartbreaking and worrying. Humanity has once again reached a crossroads. All people of insight in the world cannot help but ask: After suffering so much, shouldn't human beings treat each other with more conscience and rationality and live in peace with each other? In the face of all kinds of unbearable situations such as humanitarian disasters, can we turn a blind eye to those acts of violence that blatantly trample on fairness and justice? Should we remain silent and resigned to the bullying acts of some without bottom line because we are afraid of power? The passion and persistent pursuit of our predecessors when they established the United Nations, should we let them drift away in the sky of history? Chinese people often say that if you don't forget your original intention, you will always get it. When I came to the United Nations headquarters this time, when I saw the flags of more than 190 countries lined up in front of the building waving in the wind, when I saw the sculptures such as "Swords into Plowshares" and "Knotted Pistols" that have been baptized by the years but still shining, When I see people of different regions, different nationalities and different skin colors working together for the common goal of mankind, I think these people, things and scenes representing peace, progress and development are the original intention of our commemoration of victory and the mission of our joint struggle. . Of course, we may not be able to go back to the past, but we can create a better future.
As a founding member of the United Nations, China has always actively participated in global affairs and strived to promote the well-being of mankind. In recent years, President Xi Jinping has successively proposed the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to address world changes and solve pressing problems. In particular, the Global Governance Initiative proposed at the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at the beginning of this month emphasizes adherence to sovereign equality, compliance with international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating people-oriented approach, and focusing on action-oriented approach, providing a correct direction and important path for building a more just and reasonable global governance system. China is willing to work with all parties to take coordinated and effective actions to solve more practical problems and promote world peace and development.
First, in the face of the interlaced chaos and chaos in the world, we must jointly build peace and share security. All countries are in the global village, and security is both interconnected and mutually influential. We should adhere to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries, work together to deal with complex and severe security challenges, and resolve differences and disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. If you are obsessed with camp confrontation and resort to force at every turn, peace will only become more distant.
China has always been a firm defender of world peace and security. China is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the Security Council, actively promotes peace and talks on hot issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and also jointly established the International Mediation Institute with more than 30 countries this year. China will continue to abide by fairness and justice, proceed from the merits of the matter itself and the common interests of the international community, work with all parties to explore the greatest common denominator for peace, and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of hot issues.
Second, in the face of sluggish global growth, we must revitalize cooperation and seek win-win results. Closed self-protection cannot achieve sustainable development, and open cooperation can continuously enhance the momentum of development. Now the world economy is sluggish and困厄, a very important reason is the increase in unilateralism and protectionism measures such as tariff sticks and "building walls", and everyone will ultimately suffer together. We should cooperate more closely, strive to find and expand the intersection of interests, promote inclusive and inclusive economic globalization, and better achieve each other in moving towards each other.
China has always been an important promoter of global common development. In recent years, China's economy has continued to develop steadily, and its contribution to world economic growth has remained at about 30%. China continues to expand its opening to the outside world, and its overall tariff level has been reduced to 7.3%, and it has been the world's second largest importer for 16 consecutive years. China actively participates in international scientific and technological innovation cooperation, promotes the sharing of cutting-edge technology achievements such as 5G and artificial intelligence, and jointly cultivates new economic growth drivers. China has also promoted high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and cooperation has spread to more than 150 countries. At present, China is steadily promoting high-quality development, focusing on expanding domestic demand, and accelerating the development of new quality productivity. It has the confidence and ability to maintain the continuous improvement of the economy and continue to provide important support for world economic growth.
Third, in the face of the fierce collision of diverse civilizations, we must advocate dialogue and embrace beauty. Chinese people often say: "A single flower does not make spring, a hundred flowers bloom together make spring full of gardens." Every civilization in the world has its unique value and heritage, and should be recognized and respected. Holding on to the so-called "civilization superiority theory" and drawing circles with ideologies will only create more opposition and confrontation. With an inclusive attitude, more mutual exchanges and learning can condense more consensus and synergy.
China has always been an active practitioner of civilization exchanges and mutual learning. Concepts such as harmony and co-existence are deeply rooted in the blood of the Chinese nation. We actively promote the common values of all mankind and never impose them on others. In the next 5 years, China will implement 50 development and cooperation projects in the fields of culture and civilization for developing countries, and hold 200 special research and seminar projects to continue to contribute to promoting dialogue between civilizations and promoting the progress of civilization.
Fourth, in the face of the emergence of new challenges, we must work together to respond and protect our common home. Climate change is a major challenge facing mankind. We must adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, promote the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, and strengthen international cooperation in green economy. In recent years, the level of technology in artificial intelligence, network communication, and bio-manufacturing has been rapidly improved, but it has also brought many potential risks. We must adhere to the principles of people-oriented, technology for good, fairness and inclusiveness, accelerate the improvement of relevant governance rules, strengthen global governance cooperation, and make technological progress better and truly benefit mankind.
China has always been a responsible participant in responding to global challenges. China adheres to the path of green and low-carbon development and has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system and the largest and most complete new energy industry chain. The day before yesterday, President Xi Jinping solemnly announced at the Climate Change Summit that China's 2035 national independent contribution covering the entire economy and including all greenhouse gases is another major measure taken by China to address global climate change. China is committed to deepening cooperation with countries in the fields of cyber security, biosecurity, outer space, etc., and has proposed the "Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative" to advocate the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. This time, it will donate to the United Nations the lunar soil samples collected from the back of the moon by Chang'e-6. China will continue to take more positive actions and work with all parties to promote global governance in related fields.
Ladies and gentlemen, China is willing to work with all parties to safeguard the status and authority of the United Nations, safeguard the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, support the United Nations to improve efficiency and capacity to perform its duties through reforms, and call for enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries. China will establish a China-United Nations Global South-South Development Support Mechanism with the United Nations and provide it with US$10 million in budget support. It will also establish a Global Sustainable Development Center in Shanghai with the United Nations Development Program to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
History is like a tide, and the road is like a grindstone. Looking to the future, China will continue to do its best to contribute to world peace and development. A stable, developing, and highly open China will bring more new opportunities to all countries. A China with global vision and a strong sense of responsibility will inject more positive energy into the world. China is willing to work with all countries to adhere to the ideals of the United Nations, carry forward the spirit of multilateralism, actively implement the four global initiatives, continue to move towards the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and strive to build a more harmonious and beautiful world!
Thank you all!