China, South Africa need to jointly work to transform global governance systems: Experts

China and South Africa have several opportunities to cooperate in the United Nations Security Council, according to the international relations expert, Doc Mashabane.

Doc Mashabane, who is chief director of UN Political, Peace and Security Unit in South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, opined that both South Africa and China need to work together in transforming the global governance systems and protect the international law and rule-based system.

“China and South Africa have to prioritize the strengthening of the United Nations and defend multilateralism which is under attack by some big powers,” Doc Mashabane said. “The only protection we have is in the multilateralism to deal with global challenges,” he cited at a seminar ‘South Africa and China at the UN Security Council’ organized by the Center of Africa-China Studies in the University of Johannesburg, as reported by Xinhua.

He also counted China in the list of a few countries that understand the views of Africa. Further, he stressed South Africa work with China to reform the UN in general and the Security Council in particular.

Former South Africa’s Ambassador to the US, Welile Nhlapo opined that there are many examples that the US has unilaterally taken decisions disregarding the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The International Relations lecturer at the University of Pretoria, Sithembile Mbete said South Africa and China can work together to set the agenda of the emerging world in the UN. The US government is dismantling political and economic institutions, challenging the trade rules and the existence of the UN, she said. “There is an opportunity for the South to set the agenda,” she added, Xinhua noted.

On the other hand, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian said that China would never forget that Africa assisted the country to get a seat in the UN and will always stand by them.

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