Development 'eternal pursuit', Wang tells UN forum

Stressing the importance of multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations, China's top diplomat on Tuesday voiced the country's support for global cooperation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

"Development is mankind's eternal pursuit. … Leaving no one behind is our shared responsibility," Wang Yi, special representative of President Xi Jinping, said at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York.

The forum is a part of the two-day Sustainable Development Goals Summit held during the UN General Assembly.

Wang, state councilor and foreign minister, urged world leaders at the summit to take to heart the concerns of developing countries and ensure coordinated economic, ecological and social development to realize the SDGs.

The 17 SDGs, adopted by all UN member states in 2015 as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, laid out a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

"The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has opened a new chapter in development cooperation around the world," said Wang, adding that effective measures are needed to deepen global partnership for development.

China has made its mark in facilitating global cooperation, and Wang said the country aims at promoting development for all through greater openness and collaboration and building a community with a shared future for humankind.

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