"He might have to get familiar with the work of the organization, which requires a lot of professional knowledge, and he needs to adapt to its organizational culture, for example the complicated staff relations," Zhang said.

Zhang said China should realize the importance of increasing its representation in international organizations by dispatching more working staff to these agencies.

"We need to foster more talents at all levels who can meet the UN's working requirements," Zhang said.

Beating five other candidates from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Italy, Poland and Thailand, Li is supposed to be officially appointed to the post on Friday after the general conference concludes.

The organization, headquartered in Vienna with 172 member states, aims to improve the living conditions of people and promote global prosperity through offering tailor-made solutions for sustainable industrial development.

Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to UNIDO, said he is optimistic that its situation will be even better now with the support of China.

"I hope to witness further progress of the agency's work and promote South-South corporation under Li's leadership," Soltanieh was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Jean-Claude Brou, Cote d'Ivoire's Minister of Industry, said the organization stands at a critical moment as its development in the next four years calls for a strong leader, and Li is the best choice.

China has plenty of success and experience in industrialization to pass to Africa, which is the shared dream of African nations, Brou added.

Xinhua contributed to the story.