Statement by

His Excellency Wen Jiabao

Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

Geneva, 28 June 2000

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

At the threshold of the new century, we have gathered as scheduled in the picturesque city of Geneva to jointly review the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action adopted five years ago, summarize the achievements and experience of different countries in the area of social development and hold discussions on how to realize, in the process of economic globalization, social development that benefits all the peoples in the world. This meeting is therefore of important significance for advancing global social development and creating a better tomorrow for mankind. Entrusted by President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji and on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, I wish to congratulate you on the holding of this meeting and thank its preparatory committee for its hard work and thank most sincerely the host -- the Swiss Government and people -- for their friendly reception and generous hospitality. We are convinced that under the leadership of Mr. Chairman and with the concerted efforts of all the delegations here, this meeting will make a success.

Mr. Chairman,

Looking back at the past five years since the World Summit for Social Development, we have noticed with delight that in recent years the issue of social development has received more attention from the international community than ever and that it has been given increasingly greater priority in the national development strategies of various countries. National actions and international cooperation aimed at poverty eradication, expansion of employment and greater social integration have been constantly reinforced. Progress has been made in the social development of various countries in the world, though to varying degrees. However, we have to be soberly aware that the global social development still falls short of expectations. With regional conflicts and local wars breaking out from time to time, people in some countries and regions still suffer from the scourge of war and turmoil. The gap in wealth between the North and the South continues to widen, with developing countries faced with grim challenges. The size of the world's population living in poverty has become bigger instead of smaller, leaving many people with no basic means for survival and development. These cold facts tell us that global social development is a long and uphill battle and calls for protracted and unremitting efforts from all governments, peoples and the international community. The Chinese Government is ready to work vigorously with other countries for the cause of global social progress. To this end, I would like to emphasize the following four points on behalf of the Chinese Government.

1. It is the shared responsibility of the entire human race to safeguard peace and promote development. As mankind enters the new century, peace and development remain the two overarching themes of the world. A peaceful and stable international environment is the prerequisite for social development of mankind. Without peace, development would be impossible and people would not be able to live and work happily. At present, the trend towards multipolarity is growing and the international situation is, on the whole, moving towards relaxation. Nevertheless, the world is still not tranquil. Peace, not war, is the strong desire of all the peoples on earth. China maintains that international affairs should be handled in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and that every country has an obligation to safeguard peace. To seek economic development and enjoy a better life are an eternal goal that man is after. The past century has seen monumental achievements unmatched in history in the social development of human society. It is a sacred mission for the governments and peoples in the world to achieve greater economic and social development and seek common progress and prosperity of the entire mankind in the new century.

2. The right of a country to choose independently its path of development in light of its specific conditions should be respected. We live in a diverse and colorful world. Its diversity is an objective fact, independent of man's will. Given the differences among countries in terms of environment, history, cultural tradition and social system and the disparities in their economic development level, it is impossible to ask all countries to adopt the same development model. The world's diversity should be respected. The principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in each other's internal affairs should be upheld and nobody should be allowed to impose its development model upon others. The affairs of a country should be up to its own people to decide and developing countries should have the right to choose, in light of their own conditions, a development path tailored to their specific national characteristics.

3. Economic globalization urgently calls for the establishment of a fair and reasonable new international economic order. Economic globalization is an inevitable trend of economic development and it brings new opportunities to countries in the world. Nonetheless, due to the hardened irrational international economic order, the globalization process has failed to benefit all countries evenly. Instead, it has even further widened the gap between the rich and the poor, making it a more serious problem. To truly realize a social progress that benefits all requires the establishment of a fair and reasonable new international economic order. Countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are all equal members of the international family and all have the right to take part in the discussion and formulation of the "game rules" for international affairs. As developing countries are in a disadvantageous position in the globalization process, their reasonable propositions and demands should be accorded adequate attention and their legitimate rights and interests effectively protected. In this connection the international organizations, the UN in particular, should play an even bigger role. And developed countries should, by taking into account the common interests of mankind, resolve the debt issue of the poverty-stricken countries in an equitable and reasonable manner and provide developing countries with capital and technical assistance without attaching any political strings. In fact, this in turn will help developed countries themselves develop further.

4. Economic and social development remains a central task for the developing countries. Poverty and unemployment are acute problems for developing countries. The key to their solution lies in economic development. Economic development provides the foundation for social progress. Without it, it is impossible to eliminate poverty, create more jobs and improve the lives of the people. Social progress in turn provides an important guarantee for economic development and facilitates a sustainable and steady economic growth. It is a major task for the human society in its march into the new century to ensure developing countries growth and prosperity. This task calls for assistance and support from the international community and, more importantly, the efforts of the developing countries themselves. They must keep abreast with the times, adopt a carefully-designed development strategy, always maintain social stability, seize the opportunities, accelerate development, reverse once and for all their backwardness and create a better tomorrow by relying on the hard work of all their people.

Mr. Chairman,

Since the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, the Chinese Government has taken concrete actions to fulfil its commitments. In the five years since then, we have overcome the adverse impact of the Asian financial crisis and other difficulties, achieved a sustained, rapid and sound economic development and made an all-round progress in various social undertakings. Through years of hard work, 1.25 billion Chinese people have made a historical leap from subsistence to a relatively comfortable life. The Chinese Government has given special attention to the elimination of poverty and has succeeded, mainly by its own efforts, in reducing the size of the impoverished rural population from 250 million in 1978 to 34 million in 1999. By the end of this year, we will be able to roughly meet the basic needs of the rural impoverished people. The Chinese Government also pays much attention to the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of the disabled. Over the past five years, the percentage of the disabled children going to school has risen from 20% to over 70% and that of the disabled people taking up jobs from 67% to over 73%. The rehabilitation services for the disabled have also developed considerably. The employment situation has, on the whole, remained stable with new jobs created as our economy grows, with the employment structure improved as the diverse economic sectors develop side by side and the economy is restructured, and with a steady improvement of the social security system. Various undertakings such as education, science and technology, public health, culture and sports have flourished. The overall caliber of our people has improved steadily. Hong Kong and Macao have maintained prosperity and stability ever since their return to China. The development and progress of China, the largest developing country in the world, themselves constitute an important contribution to the cause of global social development.

We are soberly aware that China is still a developing country and is bound to come across numerous difficulties and challenges on its road ahead towards development. The population and employment pressure, the poverty problem, the gap between the urban and the rural population and between different regions, and the increasingly acute resources and environmental constraints are among the problems that we are faced with. We should never underestimate the difficulties. But we have confidence, determination and capability to tackle these problems in the course of development. The Chinese Government is drafting the Tenth Five-year Plan on National Economic and Social Development. At the beginning of the new century, we should always focus on development. To this end, we will speed up economic restructuring, improve the quality and the cost-effectiveness of economic growth by relying on reform, opening up and technological progress, and seek a coordinated and sustainable social and economic development so as to ensure our people a more affluent life.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese Government has always supported the United Nations in its efforts for the global social development. In preparation for the Special Session of the UN General Assembly for Social Development, the Chinese Government hosted an international symposium on States, Markets and Social Progress in cooperation with the United Nations and a gathering of leaders of international organization of persons with disabilities in Beijing, which adopted the Beijing Declaration on the rights of the persons with disabilities. The Chinese Government hopes that this meeting will advance further the global social development and facilitate the implementation of Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action.

At the dawn of a new century, mankind is looking forward to a beautiful future. It is the shared wish of the world people to leave war, hunger and poverty behind as part of the history and to see peace, prosperity and progress dominate the new century. We are convinced that as long as the people all over the world, irrespective of their colors, ethnic origins and nationalities, get united and work together and as long as all countries respect each other, treat each other as equals in the spirit of seeking common ground while putting aside differences and seek common development, this beautiful dream of the people will come true and the world we live in will become even better. The Chinese Government and people stand ready to work tirelessly with all other governments and peoples in the world for the attainment of this goal.

Thank you.