China is willing to work with all parties to improve global governance and build a community with a shared future for humanity, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.
Mao made the remarks in response to a media query about the just-concluded meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance.
"On May 28, the meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance was held at the UN Headquarters in New York and was attended by representatives from over 60 countries. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and addressed the meeting. He proposed nine aspects for reforming and improving global governance. First, promote the reform and increase the efficiency of the UN. Second, improve the authority and efficacy of the Security Council. Third, enable peacekeeping operations to keep abreast with the times. Fourth, pool international consensus for faster growth. Fifth, revise the direction of international human rights governance. Sixth, deepen the reform of the economic and financial system. Seventh, establish rules for AI management. Eighth, enhance governance of new frontiers including the cyberspace and outer space. Ninth, promote exchanges between civilizations for broader-based inclusiveness and mutual learning," said Mao.
"Representatives from various countries at the meeting spoke highly of the Global Governance Initiative. They noted that the nine aspects China proposed align with the goals of the UN80 Initiative, and expressed the hope to jointly work for a more just and equitable global governance system. A joint communique was issued at the meeting," she added.
"The Group of Friends of Global Governance is a stabilizing factor and just force in the volatile world. China stands ready to work with all parties to make good use of and strengthen the mechanism, make joint plans for reforming and improving global governance, and build a community with a shared future for humanity," said Mao.
China to work with all parties improving global governance: spokeswoman
China to work with all parties improving global governance: spokeswoman
Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.
Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.
There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.
The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.
"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.
Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.
"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.
According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.
"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event
According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.
The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."
"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.
Colombians prepare to choose their next president
