China refutes criticism of paying less to United Nations

BEIJING: China, a veto wielding member of the United Nations, today refuted reports that it is paying less to the world body than its market share of the global economy, saying that it is still a developing country.

"As China continues to develop, it will continue to undertake corresponding international responsibilities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Hua was responding to a question about reports alleging that the increased amount China is due to pay to UN under revised commitments still does not accord with its share of the global economy.

Hua said China always fulfils its obligation to pay fees, adding that its increasing share shows that China is a responsible power.

"China will continue to undertake its share of international responsibilities and hopes the international community will take an accordingly objective stance," he said.

China will contribute more to UN fees, taking its share of the budget from 3.2 to 5.1 per cent and becoming the sixth-largest UN contributor.

China is the world's second-largest economy in terms of GDP.

Stating that China remains a developing country, Hua urged an objective view of China's international obligations.

"It's one-sided to exaggerate China's international responsibilities based simply on its GDP," Hua added, noting that China still had 150 million people living under the UN-set poverty line by 2010.