Remarks at the UN Day 2025: "Building Our Future Together."

Mr. Cai Wei, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China,

Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, 

UN Resident Coordinator Sid Chatterjee and dear UN Family, 

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Ni hao! Good Afternoon!

Standing here in Beijing, a city where the imperial palaces mark millennia of civilization, and the glow of skyscrapers pulses with the energy of a nation, I feel a profound and humbling honor. We gather today not only to mark an anniversary, but also to rekindle a profound promise of the UN, multilateralism, and moving as one.

Eighty years ago, in 1945, the world lay scarred by the unimaginable cruelty of the 2nd World War. Amid the rubble and grief, we vowed to chart a more peaceful future. 

That vow was etched into the very first lines of the UN Charter: “We the peoples… determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” 

Those words are not a relic of the past; they are a lifeline for our present. And, at their core beats one simple word: “We”—the soul of our theme today: “Building Our Future Together.”

“Together” rolls off the tongue rather easily, but, at the same time, it demands everything of us. 

It demands empathy—the courage to look at a neighbor in town, or a stranger across an ocean, and not to see an “other,” but a fellow global citizen on our fragile planet. 

It demands that we set aside our differences, because our common future matters most.

Indeed, “together” is a guiding vision that does not belong to one culture or one era; it is the same fire that illuminates the UN and its founding ideals. And today, that vision is not just a dream—it is a vital necessity.

Yet nowadays, our “together” is under siege. The pillars of our shared home are trembling. The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat—it is the flood that submerges villages in Asia, the wildfire that devours forests in North America, the drought that parches farmlands in Africa. 

So climate crisis is always around us.

Conflicts rage alongside growing impunity, killing thousands of civilians, tearing families apart, and displacing millions. Mistrust and division are steadily expanding, threatening to unravel the hard-won fabric of international cooperation we spent decades weaving.

At moments like these, it is tempting to turn inward; to build walls instead of bridges, to cling to “us” versus “them”, and to believe that our problems can be solved alone. 

However, human progress does not work that way. Gravity pulls us apart—it is only when we choose, collectively, to reach for one another that we can rise.

So, how do we build this future we owe to every person, and every generation yet to come, leaving no one behind? Let me suggest three things.

First, we should build it with humility. Any nation, no matter how powerful and resourceful it may be, cannot tackle global crises like climate change alone. COVID-19 also taught us this harsh truth: a virus in one corner of the world is a threat to all corners. Carbon emissions from one factory affect the whole global climate.

Second, we should construct it with partnership—not as top-down donors and recipients, but as equals. It is an exchange of knowledge, of technology, of wisdom forged with diverse experiences. China’s sustainable development journey is a testament to what is possible: lifting hundreds of millions out of abject poverty and leading the charge in green innovation.

And third, we should create it with the next generation firmly in our hearts. The choices we make today are not for us alone. They are for the students in Beijing staying up late to learn climate science, and for the young farmers in Africa testing new drought-resistant crops.

The UN is not perfect, but it is indispensable. It is the workshop where our “together” is made: in the dialogue to wage peace, in the treaties to protect our planet, and in the action to feed the hungry and heal the sick. Indeed, the United Nations is the place where “We the peoples” is not just words, but a guiding vision for all. 

So, on this United Nations Day, let us return to that solemn promise made on October 24th, 1945. Let us choose partnership over polarity, faith over fear, and solidarity over self-interest. Let us remember that our strength is not in our differences, but rooted in our unity.

Excellencies, dear colleagues, friends,

Let us work together to build a better future for all, one where peace is not just a wish, but a reality; and where sustainability is not just a goal, but a way of life.

I am ready to work with you hand in hand. 

Many decades later when our grand children ask us what we had done for them, we should be ready to proudly tell them that we had worked, with passion and compassion, to hand over a peaceful and sustainable world for our grand children! 

Happy UN Day to you! 

I thank you for your attention. Xie Xie!