BEIJING — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Shamshad Akhtar, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in Beijing on May 28.

Wang praised the cooperation between the UN, especially ESCAP, and China, saying he hopes ESCAP will maintain its advantages, closely integrate its work with the Belt and Road Initiative, and make joint efforts with China to promote the process of economic cooperation and integration in the Asia-Pacific region, so as to inject new impetus into regional economic and social development.

Akhtar thanked China for its strong support for the UN and ESCAP, saying ESCAP will fully play its role as an intergovernmental platform and participate in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative to make contributions to the development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.