Activities of Secretary-General in China, 17-19 July
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Beijing on the evening of Tuesday, 17 July, after a flight from New York that departed on Monday afternoon.
The Secretary-General first took part in a social media conversation with young people through the United Nations “Weibo” microblogging site with the help of Sina Weibo, China's largest network of that kind.
The Secretary-General took questions on a wide range of topics from peacekeeping to youth unemployment and from Syria to sustainable development.
That evening, the Secretary-General also met some of the United Nations country team. The next morning, Wednesday, he met with a larger gathering of the country team.
The Secretary-General next travelled to the Great Hall of the People, where he met President Hu Jintao.
He next held talks with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
He later took part in an event to recognize the contribution Chinese people have made to the "Future We Want" campaign for sustainable development. (See Press ReleaseSG/SM/14416.)
He also met UN staff working in China.
Next the Secretary-General returned to the Great Hall of the People, where he held talks with Vice-President Xi Jinping followed bytalks with Li Yuanchao, the Minister of the Central Organization Department and Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
That evening, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Ban met members of the United Nations Association of China.
On the morning of Thursday, 19 July, the Secretary-General took part in the opening of the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In remarks to the meeting, he said that China was the largest developing economy and Africa was the region with the largest number of developing countries. China and Africa had a lot in common, including the belief in working together for the common good through South-South cooperation, which the United Nations has long advocated. (See Press ReleaseSG/SM/14419.)
The Secretary-General next held talks with State Councillor Dai Bingguo.
Soon after, the Secretary-General, accompanied by Madam Ban, left Beijing on a flight to Munich and then a further flight to Slovenia, where he arrived the same evening at the start of a visit to South-Eastern Europe.