China Wants Greater Presence Of Developing Nations In UNSC

China Wants Greater Presence Of Developing Nations In UNSC

(NSI News Source Info) United Nations - February 20, 2009: China has called for a greater representation of developing countries, in particular those from Africa, in a reformed UN Security Council.

'In the reform of the Security Council, priority should be given to the greater representation of developing countries, in particular African ones,' China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui told an informal plenary of the General Assembly Thursday.

With developing countries accounting for the vast majority of the UN's 192 member states, the composition of the Security Council can no longer reflect the political reality of the UN, he said.

Developing countries have been demanding more say in matters of global peace and security, rejecting the political dominance of the so called P5, or the five permanent members of the Security Council - the US, Russia, China, France and Britain.

They have called for enlarging the council from the current 15 to 21 or 25 members, to include the emerging nations.

During discussions in the late 1990s, Germany, Japan, India, Brazil, South Africa and Nigeria demanded permanent seats on a reformed council.