Starting today, Saturday, China will assume the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of February, succeeding Algeria.

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Fu Cong, will hold a press conference next Monday, during which he will brief the accredited press on the Council's work programme after the Security Council approves the programme in a morning session.

The Council consists of 15 countries, each with one vote, including five permanent members with veto power: China, Russia, France, Britain, and the United States of America, and 10 non-permanent member countries elected for two years by the General Assembly: Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, in addition to Somalia, Pakistan, Panama, Denmark, and Greece.

The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, which include the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, the Trusteeship Council, and the Economic and Social Council.

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