China's top legislator meets int'l leaders at global parliament summit

China

China's top legislator meets int'l leaders at global parliament summit

2025-08-01 22:07 Last Updated At：22:37

China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with officials of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the leaders of parliaments of Brazil, Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan, on separate occasions, on the sidelines of the sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP) in Geneva, Switzerland, from Tuesday to Thursday.

During the meetings, Zhao, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with IPU President Tulia Ackson and IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

Zhao said that China's NPC is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the IPU, continue to work together to organize seminars for parliamentarians from developing countries, and promote more effective exchanges between legislative bodies.

Ackson said that the IPU greatly appreciates China's firm support for multilateralism and is willing to work with China to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Chungong expressed gratitude for China's active participation in and important contributions to the work of the IPU.

During his meeting with President of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta, Zhao said China is willing to work with Brazil to implement the important consensus between the two heads of state and make good use of the regular exchange mechanism of the legislatures.

For his part, Motta said that strengthening exchanges between Brazilian and Chinese legislatures is conducive to promoting cooperation in trade, culture and climate change between the two countries.

During his meeting with Speaker of Pakistan's national assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Zhao said the legislatures of the two countries should learn from each other's experience in legislation and supervision, and make contributions to the development of China-Pakistan relations.

Sadiq said Pakistan-China friendship is time-tested and becomes stronger day by day. Pakistan's national assembly stands ready to make unremitting efforts to enhance friendship between the two countries.

While meeting with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, Zhao said that the legislatures of the two countries should fully implement the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin and provide legal guarantee for pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.

Matviyenko expressed the hope that the legislatures of the two countries will strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation and promote the in-depth development of Russia-China relations.

During the meeting with Yerlan Koshanov, speaker of the Mazhilis, or the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament, Zhao said China's NPC is willing to strengthen exchanges with Kazakhstan's parliament to contribute to China-Kazakhstan cooperation and building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Koshanov said Kazakhstan's parliament stands ready to play an active role in promoting bilateral cooperation in trade, culture and other fields.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.