China assumes rotating presidency of UN

UNITED NATIONS - China on Friday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for November.

Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, took over the rotating presidency from Agshin Mehdiyev, permanent representative of Azerbaijan.

According to the council's provisional work program for November, the 15-nation UN body has a very heavy work load, including more than 20 meetings or consultations on nearly 20 issues, Liu told Xinhua.

The hot issues in Africa and the Middle East are top on the council's agenda, he said.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world at large.

"As the rotating president of the Security Council, China will adhere to the principle of being objective, fair, efficient, pragmatic, open and transparent, and further strengthen communication and cooperation with other council members and all the parties concerned to ensure success of the work of the Security Council," Liu said.

"We are also committed to addressing issues of relevant regional hot-spots in a constructive way, so as to enable the Security Council to carry out its responsibility of maintaining international peace and security in an active manner," Liu said.

Liu is also expected to brief the press next week on the work program for November.

The UN Security Council presidency rotates every month among the council members in alphabetical order of their names, while each president holds office for one calendar month.

The last time China took over the rotating presidency was in June 2012.