Both powers oppose plan backed by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan for each to gain a permanent seat.

New York (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Beijing and Washington have agreed to work together to block a plan backed by the Group of Four (G-4) to expand the UN Security Council. For different reasons, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan want a permanent seat on the UN Security Council but are being thwarted by the US and China.

China's Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya said he had reached an agreement with US counterpart John Bolton on Tuesday. Both countries have joined forces to ensure that the plan to increase the number of permanent seat in the Security Council is not voted by the necessary two thirds majority in the UN General Assembly.

"[A]t this stage, I think our objective will be to oppose the G-4, to make sure they do not have sufficient votes to take the risk to divide the house," Mr Wang said.

"We [the US and China] agreed to work together to make sure that our interests are being maintained—which means that we have to work in parallel ways to see that the unity of the UN members, the unity of every regional group, will not be spoiled because of this manoeuvre and process," he added.

After 10 years of debate, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told member states in March that he wanted a decision on Security Council expansion before a summit of world leaders in September.

But no proposal on the table at the moment can win the required two-thirds support of the General Assembly. 

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