China has contributed significantly to the work of the United Nations over the past 45 years, and will continue to play a leading role in the organization, a senior UN official said.

"China is a model for parts of the world. China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and now China is looking to contribute to other countries' development," Jeffrey Feltman, Under Secretary-General of the UN told China Daily on Tuesday.

He made the comments in Beijing when attending a seminar commemorating the 45th anniversary of the restoration of China's seat in the UN.

On October 25, 1971, the 26th Session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 and decided to restore the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the UN.

"It's an honor for me to be here on this important anniversary for China and the UN. China has been a very strong advocate for the UN, and for the principles of the UN Charter," Feltman said.

He also spoke highly of the South-South cooperation that China advocates, as it enables the UN to use examples from the global south to help other members of the global south on development, peace and security, and promotion of human rights.

"China plays an important role across all three pillars of the UN," he said.

Feltman also met with Li Baodong, vice-foreign minister after the opening ceremony of the seminar.

"We talked about how the UN and China can deepen our partnership for peace and security, how we can work together to prevent conflict in places like Africa, and how we can work together to promote the tools of mediation and prevention globally," he said.