UNITED NATIONS - China on Tuesday took over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of March.

UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon (R) meets with Li Baodong, permanent representative of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Feb 24, 2011. China assumes the rotating UN Security Council presidency for the month of March on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, took over the rotating Council presidency from Brazilian UN Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, who held the presidency of the Security Council for February.

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Li is expected to brief reporters on the work program of the 15-nation UN body on Wednesday.

The Security Council presidency rotates among the Council members in the English alphabetical order of their names. Each president holds office for one calendar month.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world at large.

China will perform its duty as the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in March in a fair, neutral way in order to effectively maintain international peace and security, Li told UN-based Chinese media last week.

"As the rotating president and a permanent member of the Security Council, we will adhere to the principle of being fair, neutral, pragmatic and efficient to ensure success of the work of the Security Council, so as to maintain international peace and security in an effective manner," Li said.

The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members -- China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.