UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday said that China is highly committed to improving the UN Security Council's working methods to enhance its authority and effectiveness, so it can better discharge its duties mandated by the UN charter.

Speaking at a Security Council's open debate, Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that the Council has a sacred duty to perform to maintain international peace and security, and improving its working methods and efficiency is the shared responsibility of all council members.

In order to do so, the Chinese envoy suggested that the Council focus on priorities and discharge its duties in strict accordance with its mandates.

"This requires the Council to focus on major issues of great urgency that threaten international peace and security, rather than intervening in any domestic setting that is not a threat to international peace and security," he added.

"We have noted an expansion of cross-setting items on the Council's agenda in recent years, some of which have even transcended the council's mandates," said the Chinese envoy, adding that "concerns expressed by member states on this must be taken seriously by the council."