China on Thursday voiced its support for the liberalization of global trade and opposition to trade protectionism in all its forms in order to pave the way for the economic recovery in the world at large.

The statement came as Li Baodong, the permanent Chinese representative to the United Nations, was taking the floor at the Special High-Level Meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council with the Bretton Woods Institutes, namely the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

"China supports the liberalization and facilitation of global trade, and opposes trade protectionism in all its forms," Li said. "We should strive for the conclusion of the Doha round negotiations in 2010 to bring about comprehensive and balanced results. We also need to redouble the efforts of the WTO to promote aid for trade, and help developing countries strengthen capacity building."

"Trade is a key driver for world economic recovery," he said. "Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, world trade has plummeted, and trade protectionism is on a visible increase. Developing countries are the biggest victims of trade protectionism."

"The overall situation of the world economy has now turned for the better, but with the negative impact of the financial crisis still lingering, developing countries are faced with a huge challenge in achieving the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) on schedule," Li said.

The High-level Plenary Meeting on MDGs to be held in September this year will be a major action taken by the UN system for the achievement of the MDGs in 2015, Li said.

"China supports the convening of this meeting and hopes the meeting will provide a platform for the international community to hear the voice of UN member states, especially that of developing countries, learn about the difficulties they have encountered in achieving the MDGs, and push for developed countries to truly shoulder the responsibility of helping developing countries, fulfill their commitments and reach consensus on future actions," he added.