Strengthening global ties is way forward

The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). 
Seventy-five years ago, the UN was founded after the scourge of two world wars. It was a watershed moment in the contemporary era. The ensuing s75 years have witnessed overall peace and stability, no new world wars and the mitigation of local conflicts. Most nations have come to realise that differences must be settled through dialogue and conflicts resolved through mediation.
At present, the global pandemic of Covid-19 has compounded the once-in-a-century changes unfolding in our world. The 75th anniversary of the UN presents important opportunities. 
As the world battles Covid-19, it is more important to renew the founding mission of the UN and strengthen multilateralism for a better future. 
Covid-19 reminds us once again that mankind has entered a new era of interconnectedness, with countries sharing intertwined interests and their future closely linked together. Global threats and global challenges require strong, global responses. 
In the face of increasingly complex and serious global challenges, no country can stand aloof or deal with them alone. Unilateralism is a dead end, and multilateralism is the only way forward. 
All need to follow the approach of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. All need to come together to uphold universal security, share the fruits of development, and jointly decide on the future of the world. It is imperative that the representation and voice of developing countries be increased so that the UN could be more balanced in reflecting the interests and wishes of the majority of countries in the world. If we rally under the UN flag and pull together, there will be no problem that is too big to solve, and the world will embrace a brighter future. 
Extremism and the Cold War mentality often revived when the international community was facing a crisis. It is necessary to note that Cold War mentality, ideological lines or zero-sum game are no solution to a country’s own problem, still less an answer to mankind’s common challenges, and contravene the very spirit of promoting cooperation embodied by the UN. 
The UN should stand firm for justice, uphold the rule of law, promote cooperation and focus on real action. Countries, regardless of their size, system and culture, should work together and learn from one another as equals. The UN should take win-win cooperation as a universal principle, seek cooperation that delivers benefits to all, and abandon the outdated zero-sum mentality and winner-takes-all approach. 
The UN should not be turned into a wrestling ground between countries, especially between the major ones, in a zero-sum game or confrontation. 
At the High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations on September 21, 2020, President Xi Jinping expounded on China’s proposition on renewing the firm commitment to multilateralism, which resonated well with other members of the international community. Only by unity and cooperation, consensus building, safeguarding the international multilateral system with the UN and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind can human society jointly overcome the global crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. 
Both China and Uganda are peace-loving countries. Since the bilateral relations were upgraded to a Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in 2019, our two countries have achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation and cooperated closely in international and regional affairs. 
In particular, since the outbreak of Covid-19, our two countries have united as one to fight the pandemic, actively advocated international cooperation in fighting the virus.
The tide of history has never stopped surging. Today, 75 years after the founding of the UN, the peaceful development of mankind once again faces a major historical choice.
China is willing to work with Uganda and other countries to firmly defend multilateralism, continuously promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and work together to create a better world in the post-pandemic era!

His Excellency Zheng Zhuqiang is the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda.