. Beijing, China
China advocates for package solution for reforms at UNSC
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said 'the reform of the Security Council is an important issue which concerns the long-term development." (AFP Photo)
- China said reforms should increase the representation of the voice of developing countries
- A G4 meeting, held on Wednesday, called for urgent reform of the UNSC
- S Jaishankar said the meeting called for 'unanimous text-based negotiations'
A day after G4 expressed their concern over the lack of any 'meaningful' forward movement of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding 'urgency' on the issue, China on Thursday said there were 'enormous divisions' on reforms to expand the premier body of the United Nations. Beijing expressed its willingness to work for a 'packaged solution' that can accommodate the interests and concerns of all parties.
The foreign ministers of the G4 group, comprising India, Brazil Japan and Germany held a virtual meeting, where they discussed the need for urgent reform of the UNSC. External Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said the meeting called for 'unanimous text-based negotiations' in a fixed time frame.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, replying to the G4 ministers call for reforms, said, "We believe the reform of the Security Council is an important issue which concerns the long-term development and all the immediate interests of its members”. The meeting came alongside the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.
Wenbin said there have been enormous divisions on this issue and lacks a widespread consensus on the arrangement on reform, adding that China is willing to work with other 'UN members to seek a package solution that can accommodate all parties' interests and concerns through dialogue and negotiation.' He said that the Security Council was the "core of the international collective security mechanism."
"It calls for reforms to better perform its duty enshrined in the UN charter. We believe the reforms should increase the representation and voice of developing countries and allow more small and medium-size countries to enter the Security Council and participate in the decision making," he said.
A statement released by the external affairs ministry said the G4 ministers expressed their disappointment at attempts to derail the process of reforming the UN and updating its main decision-making bodies 'and committed to addressing the issue in a meaningful way and with increased urgency at this 75th anniversary of the UN.'
India, which will begin its two-year term as elected non-permanent member of the UNSC from January 1 next year, has been spearheading decades-long efforts to reform the Security Council, saying a structure set up in 1945 does not reflect contemporary realities of the 21st century and is ill-equipped to handle current challenges.