NEW YORK — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Sept 23 on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

Secretary-General Guterres has called for strengthening international cooperation as the world today is full of changes and chaos, which the Chinese side deeply appreciates, said Wang.

China has always been advocating that major countries, especially permanent members of the UN Security Council, should take the lead in complying with the international law, in maintaining the authority of the UN, in practicing true multilateralism and in helping developing countries, he said, adding it is regrettable that certain major country, for its self-interest, practices unilateralism in the name of multilateralism, and creates small circles or cliques everywhere under the pretext of maintaining so-called rules.

China will stand firmly with the UN, unswervingly support the UN's central role in international affairs, and support the UN in playing a bigger role in addressing challenges confronting peace and security, Wang said.

Guterres expressed appreciation for the key role China has been playing for a long time in upholding multilateralism, promoting international cooperation and sustainable development, saying the partnership with China is an important pillar for the UN and multilateralism.

He said that the two sides have been carrying out close and effective cooperation, and that the UN supports the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

He congratulated China for successfully organizing the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI recently, which he believed would help accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Guterres briefed Wang about the recent efforts to promote Ukrainian grain shipments and Russia's fertilizer exports, and expressed deep concern about the difficulties facing developing countries due to spillover from the Ukrainian crisis.

Guterres said that the UN takes development as a priority and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China on issues bearing the interest of developing countries, such as financing, climate change responses, biodiversity, and anti-pandemic measures.

Wang said that China appreciates the Secretary-General's active mediation and tangible results, adding that China's core position on the Ukrainian issue is to promote peace talks and stand on the side of peace. He stressed that China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way.

Wang emphasized that Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the GDI and Global Security Initiative, which has contributed a China plan to boosting international development cooperation and helping implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and has provided public goods to mitigate peace and security deficit and jointly cope with the current severe challenges.

Wang said that China is willing to work closely with the UN to form greater consensus, gather more forces and facilitate more actions, adding that China will continue to support the various causes of the UN and assume its due responsibilities.

On the same day, Wang also met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Ali Sabry respectively.