The Secretary-General met respectively today with H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China and H.E. Mr. Yang Jiechi, State Councillor of the People’s Republic of China. 

The Secretary-General extended his condolences for the lives lost during the recent hurricane and heavy rainfalls that brought devastation to many provinces and commended Premier Li’s personal engagement in the Government of China’s relief efforts.

The Secretary-General counted on China's continued leadership and multilateral engagement in support of resolving regional and global challenges and looked forward to welcoming Premier Li to the 71st General Debate and High-level UN sessions in September.  He related his appreciation for China’s leadership of the G20 and its focus on inclusive economic growth and sustainable development as key points on the September G20 agenda.  The Secretary-General appreciated Premier Li’s commitment that China will ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change before the G20 and asked him to encourage other Member States to ratify the Agreement in 2016.       

The Secretary-General welcomed China's early efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by aligning its five-year plan with the Sustainable Development Goals.  He also commended China's leadership on South-South cooperation, which is pivotal in advancing the sustainable development agenda worldwide. 

The Secretary-General and Councillor Yang also discussed global and regional concerns, ranging from response to health crises, development in Africa, and the threat of extremism and terrorism.