Upholding the U.N. Charter, Reinvigorating the Role of the U.N., and Striving Toward the Lofty Goal of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity

Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi
Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
At the United Nations Security Council High-Level Meeting
“Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the U.N. Charter and
Strengthening the U.N.-Centered International System”

New York, May 26, 2026

Your Excellency Secretary General António Guterres,
Colleagues,

I thank Secretary General Guterres for attending the meeting and for his briefing.

We are gathered here at a time when the international situation is undergoing the most complex and profound changes since the end of World War II. The dark clouds of war keep gathering and the law of the jungle is resurging. The giant ship of human civilization is sailing into dangerous waters, and world peace and development is at a crossroads.

Just as this mural in the Security Council chamber depicts, the world was reborn from the ashes of World War II, and history keeps moving forward amid twists and turns. The challenges confronting us are testing the international community’s commitment to safeguarding peace, its resolve to stand up for justice, and its courage to take bold reforms. We must stand united and act together to defend, revitalize and strengthen the U.N.

First, we need to reinvigorate the U.N. Charter for stronger leadership. The Charter has established the U.N.-centered international system, the norms governing state-to-state relations, and the foundation for international rule of law. It is the biggest common denominator of the postwar international community. The root cause of the chaos in today’s world is not that the Charter’s spirit is outdated, but that the international order and the basic norms governing international relations, both set out in the Charter, are not being effectively upheld and observed.

The international community should return to the founding vision of the Charter, carry forward its spirit and fulfill the obligations under it. We must uphold sovereign equality, oppose interference in internal affairs; uphold the peaceful settlement of disputes, oppose the use of force; uphold the victorious outcomes of World War II, oppose glorifying the history of aggression. All member states should align their policies with the spirit of the Charter and jointly observe and act on the Charter. Major countries, in particular, have the responsibility to lead by example in following the rule of law and the right path, and should not practice double standards, exceptionalism or selective application.

Second, we need to reinvigorate the authority of the Security Council for greater ability to act. The Security Council is the core of the international collective security mechanism, and is the most authoritative and legitimate body in the multilateral security system. The more volatile the world, the greater the leadership required of the Security Council to effectively manage conflicts and their spillovers.

What comes with Security Council membership is not privileges, but responsibilities. Members should rise above the narrow national interests and use international public goods responsibly. The Security Council needs to further improve its Rules of Procedure to ensure proposals are objective, impartial and inclusive, and avoid forcing through contentious proposals or initiatives. The five permanent members should increase communication and coordination on major proposals, seek maximum commonality and reduce contention and confrontation, and take effective actions to uphold the solidarity and credibility of the Council. The international community should also conscientiously defend the Council’s authority. Any unilateral military action that circumvents the Council’s mandate is unacceptable, and any unilateral sanction that exceeds the Council’s resolutions lacks legitimacy.

U.N. peacekeeping operations are created and carried out for peace. The value and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations should be assessed, and necessary reforms should be undertaken to transform and upgrade them in order to truly safeguard peace.

Third, we need to reinvigorate global development cooperation for stronger mobilization. Development, as the key to all problems, must remain at the center of the international agenda. As the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals is woefully behind schedule, the U.N. needs to vigorously coordinate global actions and fully mobilize global resources. It is important to solidify the pillar of development, strengthen the development system, provide countries of the Global South with more funding, technological and intellectual support in key areas such as poverty reduction, and urge developed countries to deliver on their development financing pledges.

The U.N. should unequivocally oppose protectionism and unilateral actions, oppose securitizing economic and trade issues, and oppose sci-tech blockade, decoupling and cutting off supply chain. It is imperative to earnestly increase the representation and say of developing countries at the IMF and the World Bank. China supports the U.N. in strengthening dialogue with BRICS countries, the G20, the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, for a universally beneficial and balanced global economic and financial governance system.

Fourth, we need to reinvigorate the global governance platform for stronger execution capacity. Faced with emerging threats and challenges, no country can stay unaffected. A united response is the only way forward. We should strengthen the sense of a community with a shared future for humanity, replace coercion with consultation, zero-sum with win-win, and small circles with greater unity. We should advocate the common values of humanity, promote intercivilizational exchange and inclusiveness, and reject the notion of clash of civilizations and superiority. We should stand firmly for multilateralism, give full play to the role of the U.N. as the core platform for global governance, and support establishing universally-accepted international rules and coordination mechanisms with the U.N. as the main channel.

China supports the U.N. in playing a bigger role in the political settlement of hotspot issues, and supports exploring an integrated mediation model encompassing the U.N., regional organizations, stakeholders and specialized agencies. China calls for expediting climate actions, and establishing regular audit and accountability mechanisms for financial and technology assistance commitments. As AI brings with it moral and security risks, we need the prompt establishment of institutional guardrails with the U.N. at the center. Comprehensive solutions on the governance of outer space, the polar regions and cyberspace should be developed, to prevent new frontiers from becoming lawless domains of zero-sum competition.

Fifth, we need to reinvigorate the effectiveness of the U.N. system for stronger vitality. The U.N. is at the center of the postwar international system. Its role should only be enhanced, not weakened, and its standing upheld, not replaced. Member states should fulfill their financial obligations with real actions, support the U.N. in performing its mandate, and steadily contribute to the cause of the U.N., rather than willfully withdraw from treaties and organizations, still less establish alternatives.

Given the new situation and challenges, the U.N. also needs to reform to better adapt to changing times, be better equipped to deliver, and bring tangible and accessible results to people around the world. China supports early deliverance of the U.N. 80 Initiative, keeping to the right direction of reform, and boosting efficacy. The ownership of member states should be respected, the three pillars should advance in a balanced manner, and the aspirations of developing countries should be addressed to keep reforms on the right focus. Overlapping bodies and mandates in the U.N. system should be streamlined, resources better integrated, and a culture of efficiency promoted.

Mr. Secretary General,

Colleagues,

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the U.N. For 55 years, as a permanent member of the Security Council, China has taken an active part in the U.N. cause.

Amid international turbulence and transformation, China holds its banner high. President Xi Jinping put forward the important vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives, which quickly gained widespread international support. Amid frequent global conflicts, China promotes peace talks. We practice the Chinese way of resolving hotspot issues, including initiating the Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis at the U.N. platform, constantly contributing our wisdom and efforts to maintaining world peace. Amid global development impasse, China empowers and enhances. The Global Development Initiative has mobilized over US$23 billion of funds, supported over 1,800 cooperation projects, delivered over 10,000 capacity building programs for developing countries, and trained over 200,000 professionals in different fields, giving a strong boost to the development and vitalization of the Global South. Amid major public crises, China races to help. In 2015, China provided full support for three West African countries in fighting Ebola. We are now ready to assist, to the best of our ability, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in the recent Ebola outbreak. As we speak, Chinese medical teams are on the ground fighting the disease shoulder to shoulder with African brothers. When multilateralism runs into headwinds, China steps up to its responsibility. We have earnestly fulfilled our financial obligations as the second largest contributor to the U.N. budget, set up and made good use of the China-U.N. Peace and Development Fund and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and initiated the International Organization for Mediation and the World Data Organization. We are preparing for the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, and actively bidding to host the BBNJ Secretariat. In doing so, we are building pillars for multilateralism through concrete actions.

A country’s greatness lies in serving the greater good. This year marks the launch of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. From this historic point onward, China will continue to uphold principles and follow the path of justice. Together with all countries, we will pursue greater unity under the banner of multilateralism, promote a more just and equitable global governance system, and move toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Thank you.