Leaders of a group of Geneva-based international organizations on Wednesday attended an online celebration of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, delivering their warm congratulations on China's national day, which falls on Thursday.

Tourists walk near a "flower basket" at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 24, 2020. The 18-meter-tall display in the shape of a flower basket is placed at the center of Tian'anmen Square as a decoration for the upcoming National Day holiday. (Photo: Xinhua)

"On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it's an occasion for us also to thank China for its extensive and constructive engagement in multilateralism in all of the international agencies," said Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Daren Tang, Director General Elect of WIPO, said at the online event that China has raised the awareness and consciousness of IP among its people, putting in place a strong foundation for the future development.

"I fully expect more contributions will be made by China towards international IP development. And I'm hopeful and confident that during my time as director general of WIPO, cooperation with China will achieve even more progress," he said.

Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said at the online celebration that China has become one of the leading examples of development, and the China experience is helping to set the targets and in many ways inspire other developing countries.

Dorothy Tembo, acting Executive Director of the International Trade Center, while joining others in congratulating China on its national day, said that China offers great opportunities not only for the multinational corporations, but also for small and medium-sized enterprises around the world.

"Keeping the market open and continuing to strengthen international cooperation is important not only for China, but also for the growth and stability of the world economy," she said.

Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, stressed the commitment of China to promote sustainable development and international solidarity.

"We share with you the strong commitment to multilateralism, and we look forward to pursuing our strong cooperation with China, in promoting multilateralism in upholding the global efforts that are intended to bring about sustainable development in the world," he said.

Carlos Maria Correa, Executive Director of the South Center, praised China for its important role in protecting and strengthening the multilateral system and emphasizing the principles of cooperation and solidarity.

He also emphasized the role China has played in South-South cooperation and its important contribution in terms of infrastructure building, industrial capacity training and so on for developing countries.

Bernhard Schwartlander, Chef de Cabinet of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on behalf of WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that WHO is very impressed with the progress that has been made by China especially in the health sector.

Through the last decades, he said, in particular during this COVID-19 pandemic, China has been able to "really help" some of the poorest nations who didn't have access to the basic tools to fight the disease.