China openly supported the appointment of a woman for the next Secretary General of the United Nations, saying that it would be very happy if this time a woman occupies this top post. In the 80 year history of the United Nations, no woman has yet been able to reach this position.
China’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Kong said on Monday (May 4, 2026), ‘We would be very happy to see a woman as Secretary General. It has been 80 years – if this time a woman can become the General Secretary, China will welcome it.
The process of electing the next Secretary General of the United Nations has started. There are currently four candidates in the race for this post, including two women. The first woman is Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the second woman is Rebecca Grinspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Male candidates include International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi and former Senegalese President Macky Sall. Last month, all four candidates presented their vision to UN member states and civil organizations and why they are best suited for the top post.
When Ambassador Fu Kong was asked if China had a favorite candidate, he said with a smile, ‘Even if there was, I wouldn’t tell you.’ However, he definitely made it clear that China has some priorities. Fu said that the United Nations is currently going through a very delicate period and in such a situation, there is a need for a strong Secretary General who is committed to multilateralism, strengthens the role of the United Nations and does not blindly follow the policies of any one superpower.
He also said that China wants the next Secretary General to be a supporter of the three basic pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, development and human rights. The second five-year term of the current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will be completed in December 2026. He took over as the ninth Secretary General of the United Nations in 2017.
The Secretary General is appointed by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. The five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, Britain and America – have the right to veto. In September last year, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing “regret” that till date no woman has become Secretary-General and urged member countries to give priority to women candidates.
China on Friday took over the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May. Ambassador Fu said that efforts will be made to give a concrete shape to the process of selection of the Secretary General under the chairmanship of China. He said, ‘We will start the consultation on this at the beginning of this month and hopefully the selection process will start completely by June-July.’ Fu indicated that more candidates could also join the race for the post of UN Secretary General in the coming weeks.