Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan (R) shakes hands with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan during their meeting in Beijing, capital of China, May 22, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)

    BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China will support United Nations and its secretary-general in playing their important role in international affairs, said State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan here Monday.

    Tang told visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that all parties should actively, substantively and steadily promote the reform process.

    "Reforms should emphasize finding solutions to help the vast developing countries and strengthening the UN's role in the development field," he said.

    As global threats and challenges keep growing, countries should stick to multilateral cooperation and take collective actions to deal with the challenges, Tang said.

    Annan said UN reform has made positive progress under joint efforts of China and other parties. However, there is still a long way to go.

    China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the largest developing country, plays a "constructive" and "unique" role in international affairs, he said.

    Annan hopes China will continue to promote consensus making and facilitate the UN reform process. Enditem