China will defend UN system

BEIJING, Jan 21 (AFP/Reuters/BBC): China said on Wednesday it would defend the international system with the United Nations "at its core", a day after announcing it had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace".
Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had received a US invitation to join the board, which is aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter seen by AFP.
China has yet to confirm whether it will accept the invitation, but foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference on Wednesday that Beijing would support a UN-based international world order regardless of "changes".
"No matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core... international relations based on the objectives and principles of the UN Charter," Guo said.
China, the world's second-largest economy and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, traditionally defends the UN system while calling for reforms.
Another report adds: Italy won't take part in U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" initiative, daily Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday, citing concern that joining such a group led by a single country's leader would violate Italy's constitution.
Trump's plan has so far drawn cautious reactions from Western allies, as diplomats say it could undermine the work of the United Nations.
On Thursday, Trump is due to preside over a ceremony celebrating the new group in Davos, Switzerland, site of the World Economic Forum.
Norway's government said Wednesday it would not join the "Board of Peace" initiated by US President Donald Trump, who has vented his frustration at the Nordic country after being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize.
"The American proposal raises a number of questions" requiring "further dialogue with the United States", State Secretary Kristoffer Thoner said in a statement.
"Norway will therefore not join the proposed arrangements for the Board of Peace, and will therefore not attend a signing ceremony in Davos," Thoner said. Norway would continue its close cooperation with the United States, he added.
Netanyahu agrees
to join Board
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.
A statement from his office said Netanyahu would become a member of the board "which is to be comprised of world leaders".
The board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also agreed to join, as have Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam. Many others have expressed reservations.