Author: 乱世加人

2024-02-23 22:00

Madam President,

I thank Secretary-General Guterres for his earlier briefing.

The ongoing Ukraine crisis is threatening to become a protracted, compounded, and wider one. This tragedy that could have been avoided has become what it is today. This is most distressing and worthy of deep reflection. The international community should pull together in search of a just and sensible solution to settle the crisis politically and let peace prevail as soon as possible.

First, efforts should remain focused on a political settlement. The Ukraine crisis has caused incalculable damage. The most pressing priority of the hour is to stop hostilities, launch peace talks, and restore peace. Peace is in the interest of all parties. The sooner peace talks begin, the less the damage that is done. Any action that is conducive to peace and greater trust, however small it may seem, is worth our genuine effort as long as there is a glimmer of hope. We call upon the parties concerned to show a sense of responsibility and make constructive diplomatic efforts to promote deescalation and detente. It is favorable conditions for the resumption of negotiations that they should be creating, not man-made obstacles to make peace harder to achieve, much less to supply weapons, stoke the fire and pour oil on it, and to profit from the prolonged crisis. We look forward to greater efforts by the UN to promote peace talks and alleviate the humanitarian situation.

Second, we must stay the course towards common security. In the face of complexities and challenges, we must be firmly committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. We must respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and never lose sight of the fact that security is indivisible, that one country’s security cannot be achieved at the expense of other countries’ security, and that regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding a military bloc. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and addressed properly. It must be pointed out that the situation Europe is facing today is closely related to the repeated eastward expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War. We encourage NATO to do some soul-searching, come out of the cage of Cold War mentality, and refrain from acting as an agent of trouble instigating bloc confrontation. We urge the head of NATO to look at the world through an objective lens, stop saber-rattling, and do things that are genuinely conducive to world peace.

Third, the spillover effects of the crisis must be proactively managed. The world is in enough turmoil. It cannot afford to be hit by more crises that are bigger than what we already have. Attempting to solve problems by creating more problems does not work. Certain countries, using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext, have indiscriminately imposed unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction and exerted unjustified pressure on the businesses of other countries, which has adversely impacted the global industrial and supply chains and disrupted the order of global trade. The world economy is interdependent, and it is wrong to instrumentalize or weaponize the world economy. China firmly opposes the unlawful sanctions imposed on Chinese companies by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union using the Ukraine issue as an excuse. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and citizens.

Fourth, we must actively advocate the equitable and orderly multi-polarization of the world. The Cold War ended over 30 years ago. Since then, the international landscape has undergone profound adjustments and the multi-polarization of the world has picked up pace. This is the trend of the times and the tide of history. Humanity is a community with a shared future. All countries, large and small, are equal members of the global community when it comes to international relations and are entitled to a place in the international arena. All countries should jointly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, adhere to the universally accepted basic norms governing international relations, and practice true multilateralism together without selective application or double standards. For the world to slide back to the colonial age is not an option. International affairs should not be monopolized by a minority of countries. Trying to obstruct other countries’ progress through hegemony and bullying is not right, and it would not work. On the other hand, major countries have a special responsibility for world peace and security, and must conduct their relations responsibly and manage their differences properly in pursuit of win-win cooperation.

Madam President,

China played no part in the creation of the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to the crisis itself. We have not been watching the fire from across the river, much less cashing in on the crisis. On the question of Ukraine, China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported. China will continue to play a constructive role and make unremitting efforts towards a political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

Thank you, Madam President.

2024-02-22 15:30

Madam President,

I thank the two briefers for their briefings. We were left appalled by Mr. Christopher Lockyear’s briefing. We hope the tragic picture in Gaza that he painted for us can touch the conscience of a certain member of this Council.

The veto by the United States two days ago meant that the Council missed yet another opportunity to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The continuation of the conflict even for another day would cause even more civilian casualties and lead to a greater catastrophe. An immediate ceasefire in Gaza is an urgent imperative to save innocent lives and to prevent a wider war. An immediate ceasefire is the common wish voiced by the international community and the consensus of the Council’s overwhelming majority. We are aware that the United States has tabled a new draft resolution. We hope the US will show a responsible attitude, respond positively to the international voice, and respect the established consensus among Council members.

We need to point out that the essence of any action of this Council is to achieve an immediate ceasefire. Any message sent out via our action must be clear, unequivocal, unambiguous, and unmistakable, rather than prevaricate or beat about the bush. At this point, the Council needs to demonstrate a strong resolve rather than negotiating skills only.

Madam President,

More than four months have passed since the conflict in Gaza began. It is the bounden duty of this Council to slam on the brakes to head off a greater calamity.

The military offensive into Rafah must cease immediately. Over 1.5 million Gazans are packed into Rafah having nowhere else to go. Escalated Israeli military incursions into Rafah will result in unthinkable civilian casualties and humanitarian disasters and cause irreparable damage to regional peace. We strongly oppose such actions. Israel should immediately cancel its plan to attack Rafah and halt its collective punishment of the Palestinian people. The International Court of Justice requires that the provisional measures issued to prevent genocide be effectively implemented without delay.

It is imperative to ensure sufficient unimpeded humanitarian deliveries into Gaza. As said by the Director General of WHO, Gaza is becoming a death zone. Millions of people in Gaza lack the basic necessities for survival and are languishing in hunger, in disease, and in despair. Meanwhile, humanitarian relief is hampered by man-made barriers, so much so that it is becoming unsustainable. The WFP announced that it had been forced to suspend its assistance to Northern Gaza because of security threats. Right now, Security Council Resolutions 2712 and 2720 must be fully implemented. Israel must take concrete action to open all land, sea, and air routes into Gaza, provide all that is required by humanitarian agencies for their relief operations, and ensure the safety and security of the staff and facilities of humanitarian agencies. UNRWA plays a vital role that is indispensable and irreplaceable in alleviating the humanitarian plight in Gaza. We call on the donors concerned to resume funding to UNRWA as soon as possible out of humanitarian considerations to keep the lifeline for the people of Gaza alive. All parties should give their full support to the work of Sigrid Kaag, UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

Every effort must be made to prevent the conflict from spilling over to the wider region. Right now, the Middle East is in turmoil. Exchanges of fire between Lebanon and Israel and between Syria and Israel are escalating. Tensions in the Red Sea are continuing. And the specter of the wider war is looming over the Middle East. We call on the parties concerned, especially those with significant influence, to exercise calm and restraint and to refrain from acts that would aggravate the tensions. Parties should endeavor to stop war through peace and break the vicious circle of violence and conflict.

The political horizon offered by the two-State solution must be given a new lease on life. Independent Palestinian statehood is not a gift given by one party to another in charity, but an inalienable right of the Palestinian people as a nation. We are gravely concerned by the recent repeated public dismissal of the two-State solution by some Israeli politicians and their rejection of any international effort towards independent Palestinian statehood. Gaza is an inalienable part of Palestine, and the two-State solution is the bottom line of international justice and the only viable path towards the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli issue. China urges Israel to stop without delay eroding the foundation of the two-State solution, halt the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, and cease the searches, arrests, and raids in the West Bank. The historical wrongs suffered by Palestine must be righted. Palestine’s long aspiration for independent statehood must be fulfilled. China supports Palestine in becoming a member of the United Nations as soon as possible and calls for the convening of a larger, more authoritative, and more effective international peace conference to push for a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine.

Thank you, President.