China on Monday called on the international community to intensify cooperation in the field of population development.

Zhang Yesui, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made the appeal at the UN General Assembly's plenary session to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

In 1994, representatives of 179 countries gathered at the ICPD in Cairo to sign the Program of Action which identified goals and established time tables for world population development.

"The ICPD is a milestone in the history of population and development, pointing out the direction of our endeavor," Zhang told the assembly.

"In this connection, the international community should seize this opportunity of commemorating the 15th anniversary of the ICPD to increase input in the work related to population and strengthen the international cooperation in the field of population," he suggested.

The UN representative urged developed countries to honor their commitments by providing more assistance to developing countries to help them overcome their difficulties in reaching the ICPD goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As a consequence, "people in every country and region of the world can have equal opportunities for development, thus creating conditions for the common prosperity of mankind," Zhang explained.

"The Chinese government has always implemented conscientiously the ICPD goals and the MDGs, and has incorporated efforts to achieve those goals in its work in the field of population and development," he said.

"After years of unremitting efforts, China, a developing country with a large population, has realized rapid economic growth and comprehensive development of its population, thus contributing positively to the stabilization of the world's population growth," Zhang concluded.