China's top legislator urges greater parliamentary cooperation to uphold multilateralism

China's top legislator Zhao Leji called for greater parliamentary cooperation to uphold multilateralism and build a community with a shared future for humanity during the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, held from Tuesday to Thursday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

In his keynote speech, Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, emphasized that the world is facing grave challenges to peace and development, and said legislative institutions should play an active role in fostering a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equality and cooperation.

He called on parliaments around the world to work together to safeguard global peace and security by upholding a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

Zhao underlined the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, as well as the right of all peoples to choose their own development paths.

Zhao also urged legislatures to contribute to global development by promoting mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. He reaffirmed support for a multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and called for strengthened legal frameworks to facilitate shared progress.

Highlighting the value of civilizational diversity, Zhao advocated for deeper cultural exchanges and mutual learning among nations, stressing the need to let different civilizations flourish through dialogue and coexistence.

He further emphasized the importance of fairness and justice in international affairs, calling on all sides to uphold true multilateralism and promote a more just and equitable global governance system.

Zhao said the NPC of China is ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and legislative bodies of other countries. He expressed China's willingness to work together in advancing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, so as to build a community with a shared future for humanity.