To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Permanent Mission of China to the UN hosted a reception in New York on September 20. It was attended by UN officials and diplomats. The following is an edited excerpt of their congratulatory messages:

Atul Khare

UN Under Secretary General for Operational Support

China is the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops within all the permanent members of the UN Security Council. China is also the second largest financial contributor to peacekeeping. We are very grateful for China's timely contributions.

My hope is that it will continue to develop and enhance its participation, not only in peace and security, but in all the areas of the functioning of the UN. It will remain a force for peace and prosperity in the world.

The main challenge is to build up the capacities of other developing countries to effectively participate in peacekeeping. And China is already doing that. It has provided a fund to the African Union (AU) to enhance its capacity. We are also discussing the training of other developing countries by China to cooperate and maintain peace and security.

Achim Steiner

UN Development Program Administrator

China's record in having been able to address poverty and industrialization and the reform and opening-up phase that changed China's trajectory have led to this extraordinary balance sheet. Today China can look back on having lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

Along the way there were also some hard lessons, environmental costs, pollution, challenges in moving to a cleaner energy and a smarter urbanization pathway in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But I have seen how China embraced the challenge and is now transforming not only its economy, but also society with the vision of ecological civilization.

There are very few people left in China today who are extremely poor. And this is something that the rest of the world is also admiring. In many countries, we may eradicate poverty, but then people fall back into poverty. From China, we have seen many examples of how this can be avoided.

Today, China operates on many digital platforms such as mobile payments. And I think much of what will happen next in development, which is the UNDP's core business, will also benefit from where China is pushing new frontiers. China has invested in education, which is a central part of China's success story and holds many lessons for other countries.

China's investments, engagement and cooperation with countries all over the world are not only part of a new Chinese offer of partnership, but also in a sense, an investment in our global economy and in our ability to move forward.

I lived in Africa for 10 years when China became part of Africa's opportunity to invest in renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, built on China's own domestic market, and then helping the world to be able to invest in them at a much lower cost. Our hope is that in the transition toward a clean energy economy, China will be an engine that is on the side of developing countries.

China is not only creating new opportunities, but also strengthening the multilateral system and the UN. China is the second largest contributor to the UN regular budget. China is both a major actor in sustainable development and cooperation and also a key partner, supporter and promoter of multilateralism and the UN.

Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees

Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN

China provides a great example of how a country can develop, move forward and eradicate poverty and contribute to a multilateral system. The Belt and Road Initiative is very important to enhance international trade, international cooperation and international development.

The cooperation between Egypt and China is moving forward on different tracks. One is a bilateral track between the two countries. China has lots of projects and investments in Egypt, and this creates jobs and increases productivity.

Egypt is now the chair of the AU. There is a very important partnership between the AU and China, encompassing many fields, such as infrastructure. The cooperation is going forward both at the bilateral level and at the pan-African level.

Dian Triansyah Djani

Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the UN

Indonesia is a very close friend of China. We have been working closely with China not only bilaterally, but also on multilateral fronts. China and Indonesia have been working closely together in ensuring peace and security in the world by contributing troops for UN peacekeeping operations.

We have been working closely bilaterally in terms of trade, economy and investment. We have been working closely in the World Trade Organization. I look forward to strengthening our cooperation in the future.

Kairat Umarov

Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative to the UN

When I was in China, I witnessed the huge development going on there. China today is a very dynamic, a very forward-looking country. Achieving such good results in just 70 years is very impressive.

Our new President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who recently went to China on his first official visit, speaks magnificent Chinese. And he spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative.

We are very glad that the Belt and Road Initiative was first proclaimed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan, and we remember it quite vividly when he announced this huge, ambitious infrastructure project that today is working for the whole world.

We are part of the Belt and Road Initiative. We have our own infrastructure development project. Both our countries today are working on huge infrastructure development projects, expanding the transport and transit capacities of our countries. The Belt and Road Initiative is not only an economic project, but also a security project because it brings development, progress and prosperity to other countries.

We very much commend the win-win strategy that China is pursuing today. The more we expand our cooperation in development spheres, the more we work together to make our economy strong. I think we can be very good partners in the future.

Maleeha Lodhi

Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN

Pakistan and China have enjoyed 70 years of a very solid strategic relationship, and we look forward to the next 70 years of a relationship which is higher than the Himalayas and deeper than any sea that you can find. This is an all-weather relationship. The relationship between the people is growing from strength to strength. The people of Pakistan love the people of China. They like Chinese food, they like Chinese clothes, and they enjoy Chinese culture.

China has one of the greatest civilizations of the world. Pakistan also has been home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world. So I would say this is not just a relationship between two countries; it is a relationship and a bond between two great civilizations.

I think the Belt and Road Initiative is the greatest economic initiative of the 21st century. It has a lot to offer to not just Asia but the whole world. Pakistan is a pivot of the project. We are very proud of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is part of Belt and Road Initiative.

Vassily A. Nebenzia

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN

The relations between Russia and China are characterized as comprehensive partnership and cooperation. They are a factor of stability in today's turbulent world.

China has made tremendous progress in recent decades and it's definitely one of the leading economies of the world. I wish the growth of the Chinese economy is accompanied by improvement of the life of the Chinese people.

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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