Top leader meets president of General Assembly

China pledged on Thursday to continue enhancing cooperation with the United Nations to promote justice and equality in the world.

Xi Jinping, China's top political leader and head of the military, made the remarks when meeting visiting UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic.

It is Jeremic's second visit to China this year after he was elected president of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly in June.

Xi noted that in 2012, despite general stability in the world, various issues and challenges have arisen.

The international community needs to think carefully about how to enhance cooperation in the coming year to promote peace and development in the world, he said.

Xi said special attention should be paid to development, as it is the basis for peace. All countries should abide by the UN Charter, and the UN is expected to speak and act impartially, he said.

"China will continue to enhance cooperation with the UN, and promote peace, development, cooperation and justice in the world together with other countries," Xi said.

Jeremic stressed that China plays a constructive and vital role in international affairs, saying it has upheld justice in these affairs, and supported and protected the interests of developing countries.

The UN attaches great importance to its cooperation with China and believes China will make greater contributions to world peace, development and prosperity, Jeremic said.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Jeremic earlier on Thursday.

Meanwhile, India's Hindustan Times reported on Thursday that emerging economies will contribute more to the UN after the General Assembly approved a 5 percent increase to the UN's budget, taking it to $5.4 billion for 2012-13.

Emerging economies such as China, India, Russia and Brazil will have to pay an increased share, while contributions from European nations, such as Britain, Germany and France, and Asian developed economies such as Japan, have been cut in the revised UN budget, the paper said.

It said China's financial contribution to the UN would increase by 61 percent, taking its share of the entire budget from 3.2 percent to 5.1 percent and making China the sixth-largest UN contributor.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular news conference on Thursday that statistics illustrate China's role as a responsible big power.

"Along with China's development, we will continue to take up corresponding international responsibility and make our due contribution to the UN's cause in protecting world peace and development," Hua said.

She added that China is still a developing economy that had an impoverished population of 150 million by 2010.

"China still faces many difficulties and challenges on its way to build a well-off society," Hua said. "It would be unfair to exaggerate the international responsibility that China should take, only based on its GDP volume," she said.

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