According to the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, on December 4 local time, the United Nations General Assembly held its first meeting commemorating the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures. Sun Lei, Deputy Representative of China to the United Nations, delivered a speech at the meeting, calling on a few Western countries to immediately, unconditionally, and completely abolish unilateral coercive measures.

The full text is as follows:

Mr. President:

Today marks the first "International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures" and also coincides with the 39th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development. This meeting is timely and holds great significance. China supports the statements made by the representative of Iraq on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and the statement made by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the "Friends of the Charter of the United Nations" group. We also thank Special Rapporteur Du Han of the United Nations Human Rights Council for his work on the issue of unilateral coercive measures.

Currently, unilateralism is rampant, and unilateral coercive measures are prevalent. These measures seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, severely undermine the basic principles of international law and the foundation of international rule of law, seriously infringe upon fundamental human rights such as the right to life and development, severely hinder the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and severely impact multilateralism, the international order, and the global governance system. However, this issue has not been effectively curbed, and many developing countries and their people have been deeply affected.

Opposing unilateral coercive measures has long been a call from the international community, especially from the Global South. Over the past several decades, the General Assembly has adopted more than 100 resolutions on this issue. We call on a few Western countries to heed the voice of justice and immediately, unconditionally, and thoroughly abolish unilateral coercive measures. We call on member states, the United Nations system, and other international organizations to jointly resist this illegal act and help countries under sanctions alleviate their difficulties. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, we call on the international community to take this opportunity to remain清醒 about the serious harm caused by unilateral coercive measures, and to gather strong forces to practice genuine multilateralism and safeguard international fairness and justice.

Mr. President,

As an important member of the Global South and a victim of unilateral coercive measures, China will be guided by the Global Governance Initiative, and work with relevant parties to jointly oppose and resist unilateral coercive measures and all hegemonic, bullying, and domineering actions, safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, promoting global governance toward a more just and reasonable direction, and making greater contributions to the cause of world peace and development.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Screen capture from the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7580143611762557480/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.