IN CHINA, GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH OFFICIALS ON UN PRIORITIES

By UN

10 January - General Assembly President Joseph Deiss has been conferring with Chinese officials on a range of issues on the United Nations agenda, including the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), sustainable development, global governance, and reform of the world body.

Today he was in the capital, Beijing, where he held talks with Vice President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. He also met with the UN Resident Coordinator and members of the UN Country Team in China.

Among the issues discussed were MDGs – the targets set by world leaders to slash extreme poverty and hunger, maternal and infant mortality, a host of diseases, and lack of access to education and medical care, all by 2015 – as well as sustainable development and the green economy, global governance, UN reform, particularly of the Security Council.

In addition, the situations in Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire and on the Korean Peninsula were also covered.

“Both sides noted that the discussions had been very substantive and constructive and concluded that there was a broad common understanding on the topics discussed,” according to the spokesperson for the Assembly President, Jean-Victor Nkolo.

Mr. Deiss commended China for its strong commitment to and support for the UN, and emphasized that many areas could benefit from Chinese leadership, added Mr. Nkolo.

The President's three-day visit began yesterday in Chongqing, where he held talks with municipality leader Bo Xilai, who briefed him on the economic and sustainable development activities in the area, which has over 30 million inhabitants and is one of the four municipalities directly reporting to the central government.

Before leaving China tomorrow, Mr. Deiss will hold a seminar with experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.