China Puts Charter, Middle East and U.N. Leadership Race on Council Agenda
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By ATN News Team
UNHQ, New York — China opened its May presidency of the U.N. Security Council with a call to defend the authority of the U.N. Charter and strengthen the U.N.-centered international system, while placing the Middle East, Africa, protection of civilians, and the next Secretary-General selection process among the Council’s key issues for the month.
Ambassador Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said Beijing would conduct the presidency with “a strong sense of responsibility and a constructive approach,” adding that China would seek to promote solidarity and cooperation inside a Council often divided by major-power rivalry.
Fu said China’s signature event will be a high-level open debate on May 26 about upholding the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and strengthening the U.N.-centered international system. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to chair the meeting.
“The international community must take urgent actions to uphold the authority of the Charter and strengthen the role of the United Nations,” Fu said, warning that the world risks sliding back toward “the law of the jungle” if the Charter is not upheld.
The debate gives China a prominent platform to frame itself as a defender of multilateralism at a time when the U.N. system is pressured from wars, funding strains, unilateral action, and deepening distrust among major powers. Fu said the problem is not U.N. failure or obsolescence, but that people have not respected its principles.
In May, the Council is expected to focus much of its attention on the Middle East. Fu said the Council will hold regular briefings on the region, including Syria and Lebanon, and must continue to push for de-escalation.
He said the Palestinian question remains “at the heart” of the Middle East issue and warned that the situation in Gaza and the West Bank remains deeply concerning. Fu urged Israel to observe the Gaza ceasefire agreement, ensure humanitarian access, stop settlement activity, and help revive the prospects for a two-state solution.
Asked whether Gaza risked being overshadowed by the crisis surrounding Iran, Fu said the Palestinian issue “should not be neglected,” adding that China would keep it high on the Council’s agenda.
Fu also addressed tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and stated that the waterway should reopen “as quickly as possible.” He said Iran should lift restrictions on the strait and the United States should lift what he described as a naval blockade. He called the preservation of the ceasefire around Iran the most urgent task and warned against talk of renewed military action.
On Lebanon, Fu said the situation remains “volatile and fragile” and that attacks on civilians and U.N. peacekeepers are unacceptable. He said now is not the time to withdraw UNIFIL from southern Lebanon and noted that the U.N. Secretariat is expected to provide options in June for the future implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
Africa will also remain a major focus, Fu said, with Council briefings and actions expected on UNISFA, Libya, South Sudan sanctions, and other files. He said China supports resolving “African issues in African ways” and called for more humanitarian and development support to address the roots of conflict.
Fu said the Council will also hold its annual open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, a theme that has gained urgency amid wars in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and other conflict zones.
The Chinese presidency also comes as attention turns to the race to choose the next U.N. Secretary-General. Fu said China would begin consultations among Council members on the modalities for the selection process, including possible hearings and straw polls, with the aim of allowing work to begin in earnest in June or July.
He declined to name a preferred candidate but said China wants a strong Secretary-General committed to multilateralism, supportive of the U.N.’s three pillars of peace and security, development, and human rights, and not too closely aligned with the policies of any one superpower. Fu said China supports geographic rotation and would welcome a woman as the next U.N. chief.
China’s May presidency places Beijing at the center of a crowded Security Council agenda. But Fu’s briefing made clear that China wants the month to carry a larger message: that the Council’s immediate crises cannot be separated from a broader contest over whether the U.N. Charter still sets the rules of international order or merely decorates the chamber where states argue over them.