Support for UN is firm, Xi tells Ban

President praises achievements of outgoing secretary-general, says duties faithfully fulfilled

President Xi Jinping praised cooperation between China and the United Nations and reaffirmed China's firm support for the organization in a phone conversation on Monday with outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The call came at a time when China is working comprehensively and at an unprecedented level with the UN, observers said.

Xi said the world is facing many new problems that require stronger global governance and more work from the UN, and he praised Ban's contribution to deepening China's cooperation with the UN during his 10 years as head of the organization.

Ban has faithfully fulfilled the duties conferred by the UN Charter and recorded remarkable achievements, Xi said.

The president stressed that China's cooperation with the UN has reached a new level, thanks to the efforts of both parties, and added that China would continue to firmly support the UN and maintain close cooperation with incoming secretary-general Antonio Guterres to advance China's ties with the UN.

Last month, Guterres visited China and met with Chinese leaders. He praised China's role in international affairs and said he expected China to make even more contributions in promoting world peace and development.

Ban, whose second five-year term comes to an end this week, said he appreciated China's significant support while he served as UN chief.

Ban said that China had played a leading role in promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, boosting South-South cooperation and tackling global climate change.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the think tank China Institute of International Studies, said the phone call shows that China places a high value on cooperation with the UN.

"It is especially important to reinforce the UN's influence amid a rising wave of anti-globalization," he said.

Wang Yiwei, an expert on European studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said recent interaction by Ban and Guterres with China also shows that the UN attaches great importance to its cooperation with China.

"China has made positive contributions to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, an important legacy of Ban's term," he said.