Voice of China

UN Security Council should focus on Africa: Wen

By Wu Jiao and Zhang Yuwei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-09-24 09:23

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council should further enhance its role in a communal security mechanism while many world multinational mechanisms keep flashing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday.

Addressing the UN Security Council meeting, Premier Wen said that as the core of the world communal security mechanism, the UN should further enhance its authority, shoulder more responsibility in preserving world peace and security, make further efforts and exert a greater role.

Wen is the only leader from the five permanent UN Security Council member countries for the current meeting.

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His remarks come against the backdrop that a number of multilateral organizations have kept flourishing. But as they are dominated by relatively developed countries, developing countries have been marginalized in world affairs.

As the Premier of China, the world's biggest developing countries, Wen took the opportunity to address the concern.

Back in 2000, China sent its first batch of peacekeeping forces to East Timor. Over the past 10 years, China sent about 1,560 peacekeepers to carry out peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Sudan and Haiti, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The devastating earthquake in Haiti in January claimed lives of eight Chinese peacekeepers.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a recent press conference, praised China's participation in UN peacekeeping missions.

"China has been participating in many peacekeeping operations, most recently in Haiti. Many Chinese young men and women preserve peace and security around the world," he said.

Noting that peacekeeping was the major means by which the Council addressed conflicts, Wen said it was therefore important to improve the effectiveness of such operations. However, the Council must adhere to the Hammarskj?ld principles of impartiality, consent of the parties, and non-use of force except in self-defense.

The Council must, as a matter of priority, resolve problems in Africa, since most issues on the Council's agenda related to that region, he said. In the quest for world peace, hot spots in Africa must be addressed, Wen said, stressing that the international community must accommodate the concerns of African countries and respect their choices.

Wen also urged the UN Security Council to enhance their cooperation with the African Union, and take more positive measures to help solve the hot spot issues in Africa, and to bring more aid to Africa together with other UN agencies.

In the past few years, China and Africa relations have deepened. In 2007, China launched the China-Africa development fund to the value of $1 billion to encourage, finance and support Chinese companies in their investments across the African continent.

Jamie Metzl, Executive Vice President of Asia Society said that China's investment in Africa has had many positive impacts. "Nevertheless, very strong allegations have been made about payoffs to African leaders to secure concessions and other benefits. For China to play a more positive role in Africa, it should encourage all of its companies to sign and live up to the UN Global Compact," he told China Daily.

Global Compact is a UN initiative which tries to get businesses all over the world engaged in UN issues such as in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. It now has over 7000 participants from around 130 countries, with about 200 Chinese companies currently participating in this initiative.

China had played an active part in UN peacekeeping operations, Wen said, noting that his country was the biggest contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the Council's permanent members.

Noting that China appreciates the value of peace, he said as a permanent Council member China will continue to get engaged in the UN Security Council missions in building and preserving peace, and facilitate that the Council exerts a bigger role in preserving world peace and security together with other countries.