China's support for multilateralism is vital, says UN's Guterres

By Mei Mei Chu and Liangping Gao

TIANJIN, China (Reuters) -China's role in upholding multilateralism is fundamental, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a security forum meeting on Saturday.

Xi in turn said China would always be a "reliable partner" to the U.N and continue to provide "stability and certainty".

Guterres is in China's northern port city of Tianjin for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East will gather with Xi in a powerful show of Global South solidarity.

"In this moment in which multilateralism is under fire, the support of China...is an extremely important element to preserve," he said, according to a media pool report.

"We see new forms of policy that are sometimes difficult to understand, that sometimes look more like a show than the serious diplomatic efforts and in which business and politics seem sometimes also mixed," Guterres said.

"The role of the People's Republic of China as a fundamental pillar of the multilateral system is extremely important and we are extremely appreciative and grateful for that," he added.

Xi promised China's support.

"China is willing to deepen cooperation with the United Nations, supports its central role in international affairs, and jointly shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining world peace and promoting development and prosperity," Xi told Guterres.

(Reporting by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Barbara Lewis)

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