China, U.S. to fight Security Council growth

UNITED NATIONS – The United States and China have agreed to work together to block a plan to expand the powerful U.N. Security Council, China’s U.N. ambassador said Wednesday.

Ambassador Wang Guangya said he reached the agreement with John Bolton during a meeting Tuesday, which was the new U.S. ambassador’s first full day in his new post, because both believe the proposal by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan would divide the U.N.’s 191 member states.

Washington and Beijing are already on record as opposing the so-called Group of Four resolution for different reasons, but the agreement would mark a new joint effort to prevent its approval by the U.N. General Assembly, which requires a two-thirds “yes” vote.

Wang and Bolton, who have known each other for about 15 years, met again Wednesday outside the office of General Assembly President Jean Ping, part of a round of courtesy calls the U.S. envoy is making to Security Council members and senior U.N. officials.

“There’s a lot of important work,” Bolton said. “It’s a very busy schedule in the first couple of days, and I think it’s been productive and I’m certainly enjoying myself.”