Beijing, June 12, 2024, The Europe Today: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a compelling video address on Wednesday to mark the opening ceremony of the 60th anniversary celebration of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
In his speech, President Xi praised UNCTAD’s six-decade-long mission of promoting global prosperity. He highlighted the organization’s significant achievements in advancing South-South cooperation, advocating North-South dialogue, promoting a new international economic order, and contributing to global trade and development.
President Xi underscored the rapid and unprecedented changes the world is experiencing today, noting the new challenges to peace and development. He urged all nations to take historical and people’s responsibilities seriously, adhere to the right path, and collaborate to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Key Points from Xi Jinping’s Address:
- Promoting Peaceful Development: Xi called for fostering an international environment conducive to peaceful development. He emphasized the need for all countries, especially major ones, to embrace true multilateralism, advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world, adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, and support a more effective role for UNCTAD and other multilateral agencies.
- Encouraging Open Development: He urged the international community to follow the trend towards open development, advocating for universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. Xi stressed the importance of promoting trade and investment liberalization, addressing development imbalances, and creating a more just and equitable global governance system.
- Harnessing Innovation for Development: Xi emphasized the need to seize the historic opportunity for innovation-driven development. He called for creating an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for the digital economy, adhering to the people-centered and AI-for-good principles, strengthening AI-related rules within the UN framework, advancing green transitions, and helping developing countries join the digital, smart, and green development trends.
President Xi also highlighted that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. He noted that China is pursuing high-quality development and comprehensive modernization, offering new and greater opportunities for global development.
China’s Commitment to Global South: Xi reaffirmed China’s dedication to being an integral part of the Global South and the developing world. He announced that China will actively increase imports from other developing countries, enhance cooperation in trade, investment, and development, and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Concluding his address, President Xi expressed China’s commitment to holding humanity’s future and well-being close to its heart. He pledged that China would work with all nations to ensure a bright future characterized by peace, security, prosperity, and progress.
The address has been received positively by international leaders and policymakers, reaffirming China’s pivotal role in global trade and development efforts.
