China has not expressed open support for the UN Secretary-General candidate, instead setting down four criteria! On June 16, our Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the prospective UN Secretary-General candidate, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and former Vice President of Costa Rica, Greenspan. In our presence, Greenspan stated his firm adherence to the one-China principle and praised China's consistent support for multilateralism, while our Foreign Minister Wang Yi also made a statement.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the role of the UN Secretary-General is of great responsibility and international significance, and the individual should uphold the Charter, possess outstanding capabilities, be fair and upright, and demonstrate strong accountability in fulfilling duties. Clearly, although Greenspan made important statements on issues we care about, we have established four standards for the next UN Secretary-General candidate—upholding the Charter, possessing outstanding capabilities, being fair and upright, and demonstrating accountability in duty performance.
In fact, there are currently five contenders vying for the position of UN Secretary-General: Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency from Argentina; María Fernanda Espinoza, former Foreign Minister of Ecuador and President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly; and Mahamadou Issoufou, former President of Senegal.
The appointment of the UN Secretary-General is considered a major matter within the United Nations, and China holds veto power. Indeed, to become UN Secretary-General, at least nine out of the 15 members of the Security Council must vote in favor, and none of the five permanent members may cast a veto vote. Clearly, we hold significant influence. By setting these standards, we believe only those who are widely respected will be elected and gain our support.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868144639397001/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.