Chinese President meets UN Secretary-General on hot issues

NANJING, Aug. 16-- Chinese President Xi Jinping and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday discussed several hot issues, including Ebola, Ukraine and Iraq, in their fourth meeting this year.

The meeting in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, was held before they attended the opening ceremony of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Welcoming Ban to attend the ceremony, Xi said the spirit of the Olympic Games aligns with the purpose of the UN Charter.

Ban wished the games a success. He said the games will help bridge cultural, ethnic and social divides between young people from different countries and regions, enhance their understanding and friendship, and promote world peace and development.

The Youth Olympic Games, the brainchild of former International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, are held for young athletes ages 15 to 18.

Xi said next year marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The international community should take it as an opportunity to strengthen multilateralism, maintain the UN Charter and principles, and promote world peace and development.

China will participate in the UN climate change summit to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York in September this year, the president said.

Ban spoke highly of China's important role in international affairs and vowed to strengthen cooperation to deal with global challenges.

He also expressed condolences to Xi for the earthquake that hit Ludian in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Aug. 3, leaving 617 people dead, and praised the relief efforts made by the Chinese government.

CONTINUED HELP IN FIGHTING EBOLA

Xi said China will continue to make joint efforts with the international community to prevent and control the Ebola virus outbreak that has hit west Africa.

China has provided emergency medical assistance to Ebola-hit countries and sent expert groups. China's medical teams in the countries are working with local staff, according to Xi.

A Chinese plane carrying supplies worth 30 million yuan (4.9 million U.S. dollars) arrived in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia on Monday. The supplies include medical protective clothes, disinfectants, thermo-detectors and medicines.

China also sent three expert teams composed of epidemiologists and specialists in disinfection and protection as well as medical supplies to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone despite high risk of infection.

Before their arrival, eight members of a Chinese medical team sent to assist patients in Sierra Leone's hospitals were quarantined after treating Ebola patients.

Xi said he has ordered Chinese departments to pay close attention to the development of the epidemic and take necessary precautionary measures.

The top priority is to have a scientific understanding of the epidemic, help African countries cope, and to strengthen monitoring and control, he said.

Xi also spoke highly of the measures taken by the UN and its professional institutions, and called for more assistance and input for medical and health services in African countries.

Ban applauded China's timely assistance and called on the international community to continue to help African countries fight the epidemic.

According to the most recent statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to escalate, with 1,975 cases and 1,069 deaths reported in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

PREVENT UKRAINE FROM HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Xi said efforts should be made to prevent Ukraine from falling into humanitarian crisis.

Describing the crash of a Malaysian plane in eastern Ukraine as "a tragedy," Xi said the incident showed that "it is important and imperative to properly address the Ukraine crisis."

On July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a Boeing 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, went down in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The cause of the incident remains unknown and the investigation cannot go smoothly due to the armed conflicts in the region.

Xi said he hoped all relevant parties could make concerted efforts and good use of the existing communication channels and mediation mechanisms to advance a political solution.

Xi urged all parties to negotiate for a program that could take into consideration the interests of all parties in a balanced manner at an early date.

Efforts should be made to "ease the tense situation and avoid acceleration of confrontations and conflicts in an alternative way," he said.

He stressed that China continues to support the UN to play a major part in the process.

Ban said that a political solution, rather than the use of force, is the only right way to resolve the Ukraine issue. The United Nations appreciates China's stance on the issue and hopes China will continue playing a constructive role in advancing dialogue and addressing the Ukraine crisis in a peaceful way.