— Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Lawful Seat Of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations

by H.E. Wang Xuefeng

Fifty (50) years ago, on October 25, 1971, the General Assembly Hall resonated with roaring applause and loud cheers when, with an overwhelming majority, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China in the UN.

The resolution was also to recognize the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN.

Botswana, then a country that was yet to establish diplomatic relations with China, was among the many African countries that stood up for justice together with all other peace-loving countries in the world to support the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN.

As Chairman Mao Zedong put it, “It’s our African brothers who ‘carried’ New China into the United Nations”.

Several days ago, President Xi Jinping attended the conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations and delivered an important speech in Beijing. He pointed out that “it was a victory for the Chinese people and a victory for people of the world”.

He stressed that “it was a momentous event for the world and the United Nations” as it “marked the return of the Chinese people, or one-fourth of the world’s population, back to the UN stage”. He also expressed, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, heartfelt gratitude to all countries that co-sponsored and supported UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, and paid high tribute to all countries and people that stand on the side of justice.

The past five decades since New China restored its lawful seat in the UN have witnessed China’s peaceful development and its commitment and dedication to the welfare of all humanity.

For the past 50 years, the Chinese people have demonstrated an untiring spirit and kept to the right direction of China’s development amidst changing circumstances, thus writing an epic chapter in the development of China and humanity.

We have continued to unleash and develop productivity and raise living standards, and achieved a historic breakthrough of leaping from a country with relatively low productivity to the second largest economy in the world.

After securing a historic success in eradicating absolute poverty, China has now embarked on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

For these 50 years, the Chinese people have stood in solidarity and cooperation with people around the world and upheld international equity and justice, contributing significantly to world peace and development.

From the Tazara Railway to the Belt and Road Initiative, we have done what we could to help other developing countries and offer the world new opportunities through our own development.

During the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been active in sharing COVID response experience with the world, and has sent large quantities of anti-pandemic supplies, vaccines and medicines to other countries.

For these 50 years, the Chinese people have upheld the authority and sanctity of the UN and practiced multilateralism, and China’s cooperation with the UN has deepened steadily. China has stood actively for political settlement of disputes through peaceful means.

It has sent over 50, 000 peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations, and is now the second largest financial contributor to both the UN and UN peacekeeping operations. It has taken the lead in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, accounting for over 70 percent of global poverty reduction.

In the world today, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the force for peace, development and progress has continued to grow. It falls upon us to follow the prevailing trend of history, and choose cooperation over confrontation, openness over seclusion, and mutual benefit over zero-sum games.

We shall be firm in opposing all forms of hegemony and power politics, as well as all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

We should vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and work together to provide the right guiding philosophy for building a better world.

We should jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and work together to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

We should stay committed to mutual benefit and win-win results, and work together to promote economic and social development for the greater benefit of our people. We should step up cooperation, and work together to address the various challenges and global issues facing humanity.

We should resolutely uphold the authority and standing of the UN, and work together to practice true multilateralism.

Standing at a new historical starting point, China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development and always be a builder of world peace. China will stay committed to the path of reform and opening-up and always be a contributor to global development.

China will stay committed to the path of multilateralism, always be a defender of the international order and work tirelessly for the lasting and peaceful development of the world and for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China will always remember the invaluable support from other developing countries 50 years ago, and our vote in the UN is always for the well-being of developing countries and for justice in the world.

China will continue to strive for the collective rise of developing countries including Botswana and make it a defining trend of the 21^st century!

• H.E Wang Xuefeng is the Chinese Ambassador to Botswana