Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the UNGA, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

He applauded in particular China's long-term firm support for the General Assembly and sustained efforts to address global challenges, including international conflicts, climate change and poverty. 

China plays a pivotal role in upholding multilateralism, promoting peace and development, and improving global governance, said Philemon Yang, president of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), looking forward to closer cooperation with China.

"This is indeed my first visit to China as the president of the General Assembly. However, it is not my first time in China," said Yang, who visited China from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

In 2015, Yang paid his first official visit to China as Cameroon's prime minister. "Nine years have passed since and the strides China has made in innovation and sustainable development are remarkable," he said.

Yang described the journey as "productive," during which he visited the Beijing Central Axis and the Three Gorges Dam, witnessed the cutting-edge artificial intelligence projects, engaged with students in Tsinghua University, and experienced a ride on a high-speed train from Wuhan to Yichang.

What has impressed the UNGA president most is not only the leapfrog development in China's modernization and booming innovations, but its commitment to upholding multilateralism and unwavering support for the United Nations.

"I was pleased to hear from China's leadership on steadfast commitment to multilateralism with the UN at its center," he said.

He applauded in particular China's long-term firm support for the General Assembly and sustained efforts to address global challenges, including international conflicts, climate change and poverty.

In Yang's view, multilateralism and dialogue, based on international law and the UN Charter, remain the only way to achieve lasting peace and security.

The UN Security Council briefing on the Great Lakes region is held at the UN headquarters in New York on Oct. 8, 2024. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

"I look forward to working closely with China towards a successful session of the General Assembly, and to collaborating in efforts" to advance peace and security, and sustainable development, he said.

Commending the success of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing in September which he followed closely, the UNGA president voiced confidence that the summit will certainly help promote the China-Africa partnership and boost common development.

Yang said that the China-Africa cooperation, built on mutual respect and trust, exemplifies the power of meaningful collaboration between the two sides.

"Cooperation between China and Africa is a symbol of solidarity that not only serves to promote common interests of the Global South, but also reignites multilateralism, which is the most powerful tool in our hands to address global challenges," Yang noted.

On the Pact for the Future adopted at the recent UN Summit of the Future, Yang said the documents are a milestone and an expression of strong support for multilateralism.

He called for concerted efforts of the international community to ensure the goals outlined in the pact will be fully realized.