China's FM meets UN chief on Syria, development

UNITED NATIONS - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Syria and development issues at the United Nations headquarters here in New York.

During their meeting, Wang stressed that China supports the United Nations, which is the most universal and representative international organization in the world, to play an important role in defending world peace and development.

On Syria's chemical weapons, Wang said at present it is important for the international community to reach consensus on the issue as soon as possible and for the UN Security Council to send out a message of unity.

China supports the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to carry out its work in an objective, fair and professional manner and is willing to send experts to join the process of inspecting and destroying Syria's chemical weapons, he said.

Meanwhile, Wang added, the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons and the political settlement of the Syria issue should be advanced parallelly.

With regard to development, the Chinese foreign minister said as the theme of this year's UN General Assembly, development is very import for all countries in the world, especially the developing countries.

China believes that sustainable development should be pursued with a view to eradicate poverty and promote development, with a focus on balancing the three pillars of economy, society and environment, Wang said.

He reiterates China's firm stand in taking the road of sustainable development, which not only benefits the 1.3 billion Chinese people, but also complies with the trends and directions of global development.

Wang and Ban also exchanged views on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan, climate change, among others.