China has stressed the importance of following a "capacity to pay" principle, amid considerations by the United Nations (UN) to determine member states' dues to its budget.

Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the statement at the meeting of the Fifth Committee of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly for determining member states' dues to the organization's budget in 2010-12.

"China stands ready to make an even greater contribution to the UN on the basis of the capacity to pay, as our economy continues to grow," Liu said.

China's contribution to the UN has risen from 0.995 percent before 2000 to 2.667 percent in the 2007-09 period. According to current methods of calculation, that figure may rise to 3.189 percent in the 2010-12 period, which is about a 20-percent increase over the previous three-year period.

Still, despite its rapid economic development and impressive gross domestic product figures, China has the world's largest population and faces enormous challenges at home, Liu said.

In 2008, China's per capita gross domestic product stood at $3,000, ranked about 100th in the world and still far from the average per capita gross national income of $7,119 (the threshold), he said.

"By the standard of the World Bank, which considers those living on less than $1.25 a day as poor, the Chinese population living at the poverty level will total 250 million, the second largest number in the world," he said.

"Economic development, poverty eradication and the realization of modernization remain daunting challenges for China," Liu said.

"The evaluation of China's capacity to pay should not be conducted without taking into account China's specificities."

On Monday, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui also underscored the importance of women's participation in the peace-building process of their own post-conflict countries.

"Peace in post-conflict countries is often fragile. Without the effective participation of women, there cannot be lasting peace and long-term social stability," Zhang told an open debate of the UN Security Council.

"Women should fully enjoy the right to decision-making and participation in post-conflict peace-building and development of their countries," he said.

"They can provide staunch support for hard-earned peace."

Post-conflict countries are often faced with numerous tasks and difficulties, Zhang said, urging the international community to provide "generous financial and technical support and help enhance capacity-building".

"While providing external support, the international community and donors should respect the will of the recipient countries, rely on local governments, fully tap the enthusiasm of local women and girls and encourage them to engage in the peace-building process as masters of their countries," the ambassador said.

At Monday's meeting, the Security Council also unanimously adopted resolution 1889, urging all countries and international bodies to take further steps to ensure the full participation of women in conflict resolution and peace-building.