Dialogue is answer to trade friction

Dialogue and greater cooperation is the answer to trade friction between China and the United States, said Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, president of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Espinosa, who ended her four-day China visit on Thursday, said in an interview in Beijing that she was "very encouraged" by the fact that President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are going to meet during the G20 Summit in Japan.

"These are the two very important, big economies, so it's in the interests of the world to have a constructive relationship between these two countries," she said.

Asked about the rising trend of anti-globalization and protectionism, Espinosa pointed out that countries should embrace globalization while taking care of their own national interests, adding that the UN fosters dialogue, cooperation and an integrated approach to issues including climate change and terrorism.

"My opinion is that you have to do both. You have to care for the interests of your people, and at the same time be an important player of the multilateral system," she said.

"The challenges we face today can only be addressed and resolved by collective action, by more cooperation and not less," she said. "If you are successful in addressing these issues, then the benefit will go directly to your people."

Speaking of the relations between China and the UN, Espinosa said China, the second-largest contributor to its budget and the Security Council member which has dispatched the most peacekeeping troops, is "a critical actor to a strong multilateral system and a strong UN".

She also commended China for its commitment to deliver on the UN sustainable development goals.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which China proposed in 2013, is strongly connected with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Espinosa said. She said that key principles, including those to combat poverty and develop a green economy, are embedded in the initiative.

Espinosa was elected president of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the theme of which is "making the United Nations more relevant to all people".

The priorities she set for the session include migration and refugees and the revitalization of the UN, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year.

For Espinosa, the anniversary is going to be "a golden opportunity" to reprofile the role and the relevance of the UN, and "how it has contributed to building a safer and more sustainable world".

"We have to remember when and why the United Nations were created," she said.