UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon concluded on June 21 his sixth visit to China since taking office in 2007 and the first since China’s leadership transition this March. During the four-day visit， the UN’s top official commended both China’s commitment to multilateralism and its contributions to the largest world organization， expressing his hope for “an even bigger and stronger partnership” between China and the UN.
　　Observers said that with the rapid development of China， the country’s global influence has been on the rise. The UN hopes China will play a bigger role in world affairs and become more active in promoting international security and global development. The latest visit from Ban， observers said， will help build a good working relationship with China’s new leadership and further deepen cooperation between China and the UN.
　　 Growing role
　　As a permanent member of the UN Security Council， China has long made its own efforts to promote international security. However， it has kept a relatively low profile in world affairs following late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s advice， focusing instead on internal development.
　　Chen Xulong， Director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies， believes the situation has been evolving in recent years.
　　Since the beginning of the 21st century after the September 11， 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States， the long-held dominant position of the United States in the UN has been challenged by multilateralism. Against this backdrop， many countries begin to attach more importance to China’s role. When Western countries put forward UN resolutions， they tend to give consideration to China’s views and attempt to gain the country’s support. China has also begun playing a bigger role in UN affairs.
　　With the upgrading of China’s international status， Chen said， the country is gradually adjusting its foreign policy orientation， from that of a bystander to an active participant in world affairs.
　　Sheng Hongsheng， a professor of public international law with Zhejiang Sci-Tech University and an expert on UN peacekeeping missions， said China’s participation in the resolution of international problems is now expected by the global community. “From maintaining international security to promoting global economic development as well as addressing climate change issues， China is playing a more and more important role，” said Sheng. 　　Ban’s visit came shortly before China announced its decision to send a peacekeeping force to the Republic of Mali， and for the first time send security forces. In the past， the majority of Chinese soldiers in UN peacekeeping missions have engaged in engineering， transportation and medical services. Others are military observers and staff officers.
　　Sheng said China’s decision to send security forces was a remarkable move that would help promote its image as a responsible power in the world. The move also shows the active and pragmatic style of China’s new leadership in foreign affairs， Sheng added.
　　The UN has recognized China’s support to its peacekeeping missions. During his China trip， Ban visited a peacekeeping training base in Beijing， inspected training facilities and communicated with Chinese medical staff dispatched to South Sudan in a video conversation.
　　Zhang Xiao’an， Director General of the UN Association of China， said， “China has been adhering to the peaceful resolution of regional disputes. Ban’s visit to the peacekeeping training base shows his enthusiasm for China’s contributions to UN peacekeeping missions.”
　　During the trip， Ban praised China’s commitment to peacekeeping efforts： “I have seen the bravery of Chinese blue helmets helping struggling communities around the world. China provides more peacekeepers to the UN than all of the four other permanent members combined.”
　　China has so far sent more than 20，000 peacekeepers to 30 UN peacekeeping missions. More than 1，600 service people and police officers are currently serving in nine missions in countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo， Liberia， Lebanon and Sudan.
　　In early May， China invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for visits， a sign that China wants to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. It also hosted the UN International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace in Beijing on June 18-19.
　　“China has also become a coordinator of international conflicts and a participant in international rule making. It is more willing to share its own voice on global issues，” said Chen.


　　 Fostering harmony
　　The “harmonious world” concept proposed by former Chinese President Hu Jintao， which is based on traditional Chinese philosophy is another contribution of China to promoting global governance， says Chen. 　　In addition， China is trying to promote crosscultural dialogue through efforts such as the Nishan Forum on World Civilizations. The forum advocates harmonious coexistence and mutual respect among different races， religions and cultures.
　　China has also made remarkable contributions to promoting social progress. During talks with Chinese leaders， Ban commended China for its leadership in advancing the eight UN anti-poverty targets， known as the Millennium Development Goals， as well as the country’s achievements in these areas， notably in eradicating poverty and reducing infant and maternal mortality rates. He also commended China for its contributions to women’s empowerment and gender equality.
　　Chen noted that Ban’s visit following China’s leadership transition will help build good working relations between the UN head and China’s new leaders.
　　Currently， faced with the unstable situation of the Korean Peninsula， the deadlocked Syrian issue and a host of other international concerns， the UN must maintain unimpeded communication with China.
　　“Building a good working relationship between the UN head and China’s new leaders is helpful for deepening cooperation between the UN and China，” Chen said.
　　Zhang said Ban is very friendly with China and has a deep interest in Chinese culture. He has stayed close with former Chinese leaders as well. This provides a good basis for him to develop a positive relationship with China’s new leadership.
　　During talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping， Ban called on China to play a bigger role in global and regional issues. President Xi expressed China’s firm support to the UN. He said that China will step up its efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of international disputes， support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals， work with other parties to tackle climate change and make more contributions to world peace and development.