The government today said four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, have bilaterally expressed official affirmations of support for India's candidature to a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said India has been consistently taking up the issue of UNSC reforms with China.<br />'' <br />'' In February 2021, following India-China consultations on UNSC, responding to a question on India's candidature for permanent membership of the UNSC, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson responded that China supports UNSC reforms in a manner that increases the authority and efficacy of the UNSC, increase the representation and voice of developing countries so that the small and medium-sized countries have a greater opportunity to participate in the decision making. It should be done through the widest possible democratic consultation and seek a package solution that takes into account the interest and concerns of all parties.<br />''      <br />'' He said India is also working alongside other reform-oriented countries through its membership in G-4 (India, Japan, Brazil, and Germany) and the L.69 Group (a cross-regional group of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America) for building support among the UN Member States for expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.  <br />''      <br />''The minister said the government has accorded the highest priority to getting permanent membership for India in an expanded United Nations Security Council.<br />