国际英语新闻:Interview: UN General Assembly president says China plays "very important" role in world a

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's role on the world stage is "very important" and "still unfolding," Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, president of the 74th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, said here on the eve of the latest session of the General Assembly on Tuesday.

Speaking at an interview with Chinese media at the UN headquarters, Muhammad-Bande said, "the emergence in 1949 of the People's Republic of China on the world stage was a significant one, since then it has played a very important role in world affairs. It is still unfolding."

The past 70 years have witnessed China's development and its ability to lift people out of extreme poverty, he said. "This is important because that alone is a major contribution to the world."

"We congratulate and celebrate with the Chinese government and people for the achievements of the 70 years," he said.

Muhammad-Bande said his meeting with Chinese leaders convinced him that "China is fully committed to the work of the United Nations".

"I think all countries of importance, all countries indeed, need to work to narrow divisions within the United Nations because it is a shared future," he said. "What we want to see is to work with all delegations to show multilateralism is alive."

Muhammad-Bande said he believed China's future is bright. "Certainly it has a better connection to the world," he said. "We must wish China a very, very peaceful and prosperous future."

China will "play a very important role in peace and prosperity around the world" in the future, Muhammad-Bande added.