ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN CHINA, 19-23 MAY
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Beijing in the afternoon of Friday, 19 May, to begin the third leg of a visit to Asia that had already taken him to Seoul and Tokyo.
He began his official visit with a meeting late Friday afternoon with President Hu Jintao that spilled over into discussions at a welcome banquet hosted by the Chinese leader at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The two men discussed a wide range of issues -- from United Nations reform, the nuclear issues concerning Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the President’s visit to Africa, regional issues and the greater Middle East to avian flu.
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General and Nane Annan visited the Yellow Mountains of China, during which he met with officials of the region and had the opportunity to name a pine tree at the well-known tourist site.
On Monday, the Secretary-General began the day with a meeting with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. They discussed United Nations-China cooperation and United Nations reform, the Millennium Development Goals, China’s contribution in Africa, as well as the Global Compact.
The Secretary-General then met with the United Nations country team and spoke with staff at the United Nations compound in Beijing.
In the afternoon, he met with State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan. During that meeting, topics covered ranged from United Nations reform, Iran, the greater Middle East to East Asian relations.
Mrs. Annan joined him for dinner hosted by the State Councillor, following the meeting.
In a separate programme, Mrs. Annan and popular Chinese folk singer Peng Liyuan visited Beijing’s Renmin University, where they met a group of young peer educators working to empower youth with knowledge and skills to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. “By speaking out about AIDS, you are helping to break down the wall of silence that allows the disease to spread,” she said at the project, which is a response to China’s growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, in which an estimated 650,000 people have been infected.
Mrs. Annan also visited a kindergarten and primary school, where she observed activities designed to prevent child injuries, a leading cause of death and disability in China.
On Tuesday, the Secretary-General addressed some 100 students at Peking University, which was followed by a question-and-answer session. He also met with University President Xu Zhihong. (See Press Release SG/SM/10474.)
In his remarks, he summed up his official visit to China, saying that he had discussed a range of issues with the Chinese leadership that shows the breadth of the Chinese role in the world, and the importance of China’s engagement with the United Nations.
“We discussed the fundamental importance of multilateralism and the irreplaceable role of the UN, as well as the need to deliver concrete reform results on everything from the development agenda and the Millennium Development Goals to peacebuilding, strengthening human rights work, management reform, the mandate review and counter-terrorism,” he said.
Winding up his visits to the Republic of Korea, Japan and China, he encouraged the three countries to work together in areas of common interests.
“During my current visits to the region, I have observed that the ties that bind China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are deep and multilayered. The interaction among businessmen, intellectuals, artists, students and public personalities has risen dramatically in recent years. People-to-people contacts are becoming a way of life,” he said.
He said he was encouraged by the desire of leaders in all three countries to have better relations. Noting that working together on common challenges can help accelerate this process, the Secretary-General mentioned that, during this trip, he suggested that the three countries pool their efforts together on issues of common concern.
“As a start, this could include protecting the environment in this part of the world. They could also combine their efforts to advance a green revolution in Africa,” he said. “All of this could help pave the way for improved relations and, in so doing, help them to realize their immense individual and collective potential.”
The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan then visited the Olympic National Stadium, dubbed the “Bird’s nest”, which is under construction, and heard a briefing about preparations leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games, from the Organizing Committee President Liu Qi.
The Secretary-General’s party left for Beijing for Hanoi, on Tuesday afternoon, 23 May.