China on Wednesday called on other like-minded countries to join the Group of Friends of Global Governance, following the launch of the group's Vienna chapter a day earlier.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks at a regular news briefing, noting that the Vienna chapter, inaugurated on Tuesday, is the latest in a series of such chapters formed at major United Nations hubs, following earlier launches in New York in December and Geneva in February.

The group's expanding membership and its growing influence and cohesion, Lin said, have demonstrated that reforming and improving global governance and jointly tackling global challenges are the will of the people and the prevailing trend.

China also supports efforts to strengthen the UN's authority so as to make a joint contribution to the reform and improvement of global governance, he said.

The launch event on Tuesday, hosted by China's Permanent Mission in Vienna, gathered more than 130 participants, including representatives of over 40 countries, senior officials from international organizations and scholars from Vienna-based think tanks.

Participants at the event voiced strong support for the Global Governance Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September last year, and commended the country's leading role in upholding multilateralism. They described the group's establishment as a timely move and expressed expectations for enhanced coordination on the Vienna platform.

Addressing the launch event, Li Song, China's permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, noted that the GGI has received swift support and positive responses from more than 150 countries and international organizations.

"China calls on more UN member states to participate in and support the GGI, and to work together to reinvigorate, safeguard and strengthen the UN," Li said.

In his speech, he described the Vienna chapter as an open and inclusive platform for dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equality.

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn