BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Riyadh Summit will present an important opportunity to set the direction for improving global governance in the post-COVID era.
Wang made the remarks Thursday in a written interview with Saudi Arabia's newspaper Asharq Al-Awast.
Highlighting the capable leadership of Saudi Arabia over the past year, Wang said the G20 responded to the epidemic with unity, and achieved practical results in many fields, from coordinating policies on vaccine and macro-economy, addressing the debts of developing countries, to promoting trade and investment, digital economy and the flow of people.
"The world is still being ravaged by COVID-19, and many countries are facing a second wave of the virus, making it even more challenging to fight the epidemic, protect people's livelihoods and stabilize the economy," Wang said, adding that the Riyadh Summit is attracting much attention from the international community which expects the Summit to produce positive signals and practical initiatives of cooperation.
As all parties reflect on the weaknesses and deficiencies in global governance exposed by COVID-19, it is also hoped that the Summit would work out a plan for reforming global governance in the post-COVID era, he added.
"The Riyadh Summit, according to our view, will not only review G20's cooperation over the past year and make future plans; more importantly, it presents an important opportunity to set the direction for improving global governance in the post-COVID era," Wang said.
He said China hopes the Summit will enhance cooperation in upholding multilateralism and improving global governance, putting life first and building a global community of health for all, enhancing macro-economic policy coordination and promoting global economic recovery, and placing development front and center in international cooperation.
With the virus effectively under control, China is working actively to foster a new development paradigm, and will soon begin implementing its 14th Five-Year Plan, Wang said, adding that China will work with other G20 members to support Saudi Arabia's leadership as the holder of the G20 presidency, ensure the success of the Riyadh Summit, boost international confidence in overcoming the difficulties, and join hands in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Noting that China's vaccine development companies are going all out and working around the clock to develop vaccines in strict accordance with scientific laws and regulatory requirements and have made encouraging progress, Wang said 11 of their vaccines have entered clinical trials, among which four have got the green light for phase-3 clinical trials abroad.
Statistics have so far shown that these vaccines are safe and immunogenic, Wang said, adding that such pace of progress is among the fastest in the world.
"China has always been committed to international cooperation on vaccine development and has joined a number of multilateral initiatives such as WHO's Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and COVAX. We will continue to engage in active discussions with all parties on international cooperation on vaccine development," Wang said.
Noting that the world today is undergoing unprecedented changes, and COVID-19 is accelerating this process, Wang said: "We will not be able to go back to the past when the pandemic is over. We must look beyond the horizon and open up a new future."
"We will always uphold world peace, contribute to global development, and safeguard the international order. We will make greater efforts, in closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the whole international community, to uphold multilateralism, support the role of the United Nations, maintain international peace and security, promote common development, and improve global governance," he said. Enditem