Activities of Secretary-General in China, 30 October-3 November
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his delegation arrived in Shanghai, China, on the afternoon of 30 October. Led by officials of the Organization working at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Secretary-General visited the pavilions of the United Nations, MeteoWorld, China, Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
That evening the Secretary-General was the guest at a dinner held in his honour by Dai Bingguo, China’s State Councillor. Before that, he met with Jang Jiechi, Foreign Minister of China, with whom he exchanged views on a range of issues, including the Millennium Development Goals, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the situations in the Korean peninsula, Myanmar and Sudan.
The next morning, he took part in the Summit Forum of the World Expo. In his address, he praised the City of Shanghai for the Expo’s record-breaking attendance and commended China for organizing the first World Expo held in a developing country. (See Press Release SG/SM/13213)
After that, the Secretary-General boarded the Huning high-speed railway train, en route to Nanjing. There, he had a working lunch with leaders of Jiangsu Province and faculty members of Nanjing University, which later acknowledged his contribution to international peace and security by awarding him an honorary degree in law. In his acceptance speech, Secretary-General Ban urged students and faculty to help ensure that China’s development is sustainable and comprehensive. (See Press Release SG/SM/13219)
Back in Shanghai that evening, he took part in a dinner reception and later in the closing ceremony of the 2010 World Expo.
The next morning, the Secretary-General addressed the Cultural Forum organized by the Jiefang Daily newspaper group. That was followed by a speech at the Academic Impact Event. (See Press Releases SG/SM/13220 and SG/SM/13215)
Soon after that, the Secretary-General and his delegation left Shanghai for Beijing.
On the fist day of his visit to Beijing, he met again with State Councillor Dai Bingguo and then with President Hu Jintao. Secretary-General Ban and President Hu discussed a wide range of issues, including climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, the Korean peninsula and Africa.
Later that evening, the Secretary-General, his wife and members of his delegation attended a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
The next morning, the Secretary-General met with Wu Bang Guo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China. After a lunch hosted by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the Secretary-General addressed the United Nations country team at a town hall meeting. He then visited a United Nations-supported environmentally sustainable farming project on the outskirts of Beijing.
Secretary-General Ban’s visit to China ended the next morning with a round table organized by the Central Party School on Governance and Harmonious Society, where many of China’s leadership are trained. (See Press Release SG/SM/13222)
He landed in New York in the afternoon of 3 November.