The Secretary-General met with Premier Li Keqiang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Beijing today.

The Secretary-General commended China for its continued progress in the economic and social sphere. He said the world increasingly looked to China, and its role in South-South cooperation was particularly appreciated. He said China had made remarkable progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and he counted on China’s support in defining Sustainable Development Goals.

The Secretary-General also expressed his appreciation for China’s contributions to his global initiatives on women’s and children’s health, education and food security. He said China could show leadership in all these initiatives.

The Secretary-General stressed the importance of China’s continued leadership and active role on sustainable development, climate change, renewable energy and other priority areas. They also discussed cooperation between China and the United Nations on tackling the H7N9 influenza virus.

The Secretary-General and State Councilor Yang Jiechi discussed a range of international matters, focussing on developments on the Korean Peninsula and in Syria. The Secretary-General underscored his appreciation for China’s role in defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and encouraged Beijing to continue to do so.

The Secretary-General thanked State Councilor Yang for his words of sympathy and condemnation for the terrorist attack against the United Nations in Mogadishu on Wednesday.