BEIJING, May 17: A draft proposal for U.N. Security Council reform circulated by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan will undermine the process of upgrading the United Nations and exacerbate differences, China said on Tuesday. The four countries, all lobbying for permanent seats on a reformed, expanded U.N. Security Council, circulated the resolution on Monday proposing to expand the council from 15 to 25 seats.

There are presently five permanent members — China, the United States, Britain, Russia and France — and the other 10 are elected for two-year terms. “From the initial situation, it appears that the core content of this draft proposal is very different from the positions of many countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said.

Putting forward such a proposal at a time when there are still differences in opinion on how to reform the United Nations “can only exacerbate the conflicts and damage the U.N. reform process”, Kong told a news conference. The initiative follows proposals earlier this year by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for a major overhaul, and he wants the General Assembly to take a decision by the time a U.N. summit takes place in September.

China has opposed Japan’s bid for a permanent seat because of what it sees as its failure to own up to its wartime aggression.—Reuters