Xi meets UN chief, Italian leader
China will work with the United Nations to push for concrete progress in implementing the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative in order to bring more stability and certainty into a volatile world, President Xi Jinping said on Nov 16.
Xi made the remark while meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 17th G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
At a time when important changes have taken place across the global, Xi said all countries must put mankind’s future and destiny above everything else and work together to overcome difficulties.
“In particular, major countries should lead by example, instead of creating divisions or confrontations, or even profiting from others’ misfortunes,” he said.
Xi expressed China’s willingness to push for mankind’s progress with Chinese modernization and to bring new opportunities for the world through the country’s own development. All countries should act on what they say and present their achievements to the world instead of speaking empty words, he said.
Xi also said that to achieve world peace, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed and the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously.
China is a staunch supporter of the international system with the UN at its core and will continue to uphold true multilateralism and support the UN’s work, he added.
“I’m convinced that the historical trend of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results is irresistible and that mankind has a bright future,” Xi said.
In their meeting on Nov 16, Guterres again congratulated Xi on his reelection as general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Guterres said developing countries are facing one crisis after another regarding food, energy and climate change, and there still remains great inequality in global development.
The UN highly commends China for upholding multilateralism, he said, noting that China has played an incomparable role in helping developing countries. Guterres also said the UN firmly supports the one-China principle, which is a red line that cannot be crossed and must be respected.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Nov 16.
Xi noted that in recent years, China and Italy have worked hand in hand to address COVID-19, and held events of the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism in each other’s country as well as the “Tota Italia: Origins of a Nation” exhibition in China, reflecting vividly the friendship and exchanges between the two countries.
It is important for the two countries to carry forward the tradition of friendship, understand and support each other’s core interests and major concerns, pursue common ground while shelving differences, expand consensus, and set an example for relations between countries with different social systems and cultural backgrounds, Xi said.
Xi stressed his hope for the two sides to tap into the China-Italy Government Committee and dialogue mechanisms across sectors to explore the potential of cooperation in such areas as high-end manufacturing, clean energy, aviation and aerospace and in third-party markets.
China stays committed to high-level opening-up and will import more quality products from Italy, Xi said, adding that China welcomes Italy to be the guest of honor of the 2023 China International Consumer Products Expo.
For her part, Meloni expressed her pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with Xi.
Italy and China are both ancient civilizations, and have a long tradition of friendship and exchanges, she said, adding that the Italian side is glad to see the events of the Year of Culture and Tourism being held, and stands ready to continue advancing bilateral cooperation in such areas as trade and culture.
Meloni said Italy does not approve of bloc confrontation, and believes that countries should respect their differences and disagreements, strengthen solidarity, keep to dialogue and exchanges, and enhance mutual understanding.
China is a major country and Asia is becoming more and more important for the world, Meloni said, adding that Italy hopes to closely collaborate with China within the United Nations, G20 and other frameworks to tackle the various pressing challenges facing the world in a more effective manner.