Distinguished Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin,

Vice Minister Xiong Jijun,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Geneva in April is full of spring vitality and renewal. It provides a wonderful setting for us to come together and discuss the future of global information and communication technologies. I am pleased to welcome you to the Chinese reception held on the occasion of the ITU Council session.

Connecting the world has been the enduring mandate and mission of the ITU for more than 160 years. From the telegraph and telephone to mobile and satellite communications, and now to digital technologies and artificial intelligence, technologies have continued to evolve. Yet the ITU has remained committed to promoting connectivity, so that more countries and more people can share, in a fairer way, the opportunities brought by scientific and technological progress.

In the digital era, connectivity has taken on richer meaning. This is clearly reflected in the agenda of this Council session. Over these two weeks, Member States have been discussing important issues such as the ITU’s strategic planning, the follow-up to the WSIS+20 review, submarine cable resilience, and Internet Governance. These discussions show that connectivity has long gone beyond the technical domain. It has become an important issue bearing on development, security, governance, and the future of digital and intelligent transformation.

Connectivity in the digital era depends on open and inclusive multilateral cooperation. While digital technologies are providing new momentum for development in all countries, they also bring new challenges, including the digital and intelligence divides, cybersecurity, and development imbalances. As the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, the ITU has drawn on its professional strengths and mandate to play an important role in promoting exchanges and cooperation among countries, coordinating technical standards, advancing policy dialogue, and strengthening capacity-building. In particular, Secretary-General Doreen’s call for universal and meaningful connectivity, and for a safe, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable digital future for all, reflects the ITU’s sense of mission in keeping pace with the times, responding to Members’ concerns, and advancing practical cooperation.

China has long served as a member of the ITU Council and has actively participated in the work of the Union. Together with other countries, China has worked to promote connectivity in the digital era, bridge the digital and intelligence divides, improve global digital governance, and ensure that digital technologies better serve development and benefit the people.

Last year, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Governance Initiative, emphasizing sovereign equality, the international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and action-oriented cooperation. These principles are highly consistent with the purposes of the ITU. They provide important guidance for improving global governance in the digital era, and serve as a fundamental guide for China’s continued participation in and support for the work of the ITU.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference will be held in the second half of this year. It will be an important moment for global digital governance and the development of information and communication technologies. The Chinese Government has decided to seek re-election to the ITU Council for the 2027–2030 term, and to nominate Mr. Cheng Jianjun for re-election as a member of the Radio Regulations Board for the same term. Next year, China will also host the World Radiocommunication Conference.

We sincerely look forward to your continued valuable support. China stands ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with all parties, and to work together to build an open, inclusive and interconnected world of common development, making new contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Finally, I wish this session of the ITU Council a full success. I wish you all good health and every success in your work.

Thank you.