CAPE TOWN -- A senior Chinese legislator has called on members of the Group of Twenty (G20) to strengthen unity and cooperation in tackling global challenges at the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit held in South Africa.

Zheng Jianbang, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, led a Chinese delegation to the summit on Wednesday and Thursday and delivered a keynote speech.

Hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are hindering the global development agenda, Zheng said in his speech, noting that the G20 should shoulder its responsibility to drive world economic growth and advance historical progress.

He called on all parties to uphold the principles of solidarity, cooperation, equality, consultation and prioritizing development, while actively participating in the Global Governance Initiative, practicing multilateralism and making global development more inclusive, beneficial to all and more resilient.

The NPC is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with legislative bodies around the world to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, Zheng added.

On the sidelines of the summit, Zheng also met with parliamentary leaders from South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Mozambique and Germany to exchange views on deepening inter-parliamentary cooperation.