Updated: September 24, 2020 4:29:48 pm
China, part of the UNSC’s five permanent (P5) veto power, has been hampering India’s efforts to become a UNSC member. (AP)
China, which has been blocking India’s entry into the UN Security Council, said on Thursday there were “huge divisions” over reforms to expand the main UN body and expressed willingness to work for a “package. of solution “that can be adapted to the interests. and concerns of all parties.
The G4 group comprising India, Japan, Germany and Brazil on Wednesday expressed concern about the lack of “significant” progress on the long-pending reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and called for “urgency” on the topic.
The foreign ministers of the G4 countries, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, S Jaishankar, held a virtual meeting coinciding with the 75th session of the UN General Assembly during which they held a broad debate on the need for reform Urgent of the UN Security Council.
“Unanimous call for text-based negotiations on a fixed term. Reformed multilateralism guides India’s approach to the United Nations, ”Jaishankar tweeted on Wednesday after the meeting.
In response to G4 ministers’ call for time-bound text-based negotiations to carry out reforms for the UN Security Council, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a conference of press here that: “We believe that the reform of the Security Council is a matter that concerns the long-term development and all the immediate interests of its members?
“There have been enormous divisions on this issue and a general consensus on the reform arrangement is lacking. China is willing to work with other UN members to seek a solution package that can be tailored to the interests and concerns of all parties through dialogue and negotiation, ”he said.
Wang said the Security Council was the “core of the international collective security mechanism.”
“It calls for reforms to better fulfill its duty enshrined in the UN Charter. We believe that the reforms should increase the representation and voice of developing countries and allow more small and medium-sized countries to join the Security Council and participate in decision-making, ”he said.
A joint G4 press release on Wednesday said ministers highlighted the urgency of reforming the UN and updating its main decision-making bodies, in order to better reflect contemporary realities.
“G4 ministers expressed their disappointment at attempts to derail this process and pledged to address the issue in a meaningful way and with greater urgency on this 75th anniversary of the UN,” said the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
In the 75th year of the United Nations, India will begin its two-year term as a non-permanent elected member of the powerful Security Council from January 1 of next year.
India has been spearheading decades-long efforts to reform the Security Council, saying that a structure established in 1945 does not reflect contemporary 21st century realities and is ill-equipped to handle today’s challenges.
There is widespread support, including from four of the five permanent members of the Security Council (the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia) for a permanent seat for India on the Council.
China, part of the five permanent (P5) UN Security Council with veto power, has been hampering India’s efforts to become a member of the powerful UN body for years, noting the lack of consensus despite that the other four members have supported the New Delhi membership. .
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