China says UN reforms should not serve 'selfish interests of a few' after Jaishankar's comments on non-Western nation blocking reforms
China said the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms “should benefit all member states rather than serving the selfish interests of a few”, comments that come days after external affairs minister S Jaishankar said “one non-Western country” was blocking UNSC reforms.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday said member states need to seek the broadest possible consensus for a package solution through serious and thorough consultations when it comes to UNSC reforms.
She said China believes that “reform of the Security Council should effectively increase the representation and say of developing countries and give more small and medium-sized countries the opportunity to participate in the decision-making of the organisation”.
India has positioned itself as a candidate for a permanent seat in an expanded UNSC, along with Japan, Germany and Brazil. Four out of five permanent members of the UNSC – US, Russia, France and UK minus China – have backed India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the UNSC. China’s position on UNSC reforms has been among the irritants in Sino-Indian ties. Besides, China has several times in the past stalled attempts by the UN to list Pakistan-based terrorists.
At the Raisina Dialogue last week, Jaishankar said there is an imminent need for a “radical change" in the global order but the biggest opposer to UNSC reforms is not a western country.
“When the UN was invented, it had approximately 50 members. We
