The reform of the Economic and Social Council is the top priority of the UN reform. Close attention should be focused on making the council more relevant to the hotly contested international economic and financial issues. It should be become more innovative so that it can come up with focused and practical resolutions.

The Security Council is at the very heart of the UN collective security mechanism. It is also the most authoritative and legitimate agency under this mechanism. Its reform will therefore have far-reaching repercussions. The following principles may be worth considering: expanding the council as appropriate to achieve a regional balance and increasing the number of seats held by developing countries, especially African countries, to further enhance the UN’s representation and authority. Various regional blocs can hold closed-door meetings to determine the candidates through democratic consultation. After that, a final decision can be made according to the provisions of the UN Charter.

With regard to the reform of the Secretariat, efforts should be made to downsize its personnel, shorten the period of the General Assembly session and highlight the priorities on the assembly’s agenda. In this way, the Secretariat will become more capable of coping with all kinds of crises and emergencies. Corruption in the Secretariat and some peacekeeping missions should also be addressed.

The reform of the UN should be an all-inclusive, reasonable and gradual process. Given the notable disparities among its members and their different shares of interest, the reform must be highly democratic and transparent. The principle of democracy and the effective procedures that the UN has long practiced should be upheld so that the preset goals of the reform can materialize, thereby making the world body more powerful and authoritative.

How will Ban fulfill these challenging yet noble missions? He has indicated on several occasions that he believes in tai chi, or shadow boxing, a traditional soft-style martial art exercise. In his opinion, skill in tai chi can help in tackling many difficult issues. Tai chi embodies Eastern diplomatic wisdoms such as being gentle but firm, having perseverance and tenacity, making concessions to gain advantage and valuing “good timing” and “geographical convenience.”

An experienced diplomat, Ban has made the most of these skills over the years in a productive manner. He is expected to continue to make remarkable progress in the next five years at the helm of the UN.

The author is a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies