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Statement by H.E. Ambassador Wang Min Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations At the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly On Agenda Item 107 Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism

2014-10-08 04:28

(photo:  xinhua news agency  niuxiaolei)

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, please allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chairman of the Sixth Committee of the 69th Session of the General Assembly. My felicitations also go to other members of the Bureau on their election.

The Chinese delegation associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Russia on behalf of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Mr. Chairman,

Now, the international community is facing a comeback of terrorism. Terrorist activities have grown in both forms and means, as clearly manifested in rampant acts of violence and extremism, the return of terrorists trained abroad and online social media turning into a new front for the propagation and plotting of violent acts of terror. Confronted with this serious situation, our fight against terrorism remains an uphill task.

The Chinese government has always opposed terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We firmly support lawful, harsh measures to crack down on criminal terrorist activities and firmly support the international community in its effort to eliminate terrorism. In the view of the Chinese delegation, the international community should, in light of the new changes on the counter-terrorism scene, give full play to the role of existing mechanisms and increase international cooperation against terrorism. The Chinese delegation would like to emphasize the following points:

1. Maintain a zero-tolerance stance. Terrorism defies fundamental human rights and challenges the bottom line of human civilization. It is an arch enemy of mankind. Terrorist acts, regardless of when and where they are committed and by whom, are heinous criminal acts for which there is no excuse. All countries should act in unison in combatting terrorism. No double standard and selectivity should be practiced, still less should terrorism be linked with a particular ethnicity or religion.

2. Strictly observe international law. Counter-terrorism operations should be carried out in conformity of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, in full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned and in keeping with international legal provisions on the use of force. We call upon more countries to accede to the 13 UN conventions on counter-terrorism, and support the formulation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism so as to further improve the international legal framework for combatting terrorism.

3. Leverage the leading role of the United Nations. International counter-terrorism cooperation should be led by the United Nations and its Security Council. Only by so doing can we maintain solidarity, have effective coordination and take concerted action. China supports the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy as the guideline for international cooperation against terrorism and calls for strict observance and implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions and greater coordination among the UN counter-terrorism entities.

4. Improve integrated policy implementation. All countries should intensify their crackdown on the use of the internet by terrorist organizations to publicize audio-visual materials about terror and violence, to spread extremist ideas, to instigate, plot and commit terrorist acts as well as to recruit personnel and transfer funds. All countries should employ various means, increase the gathering and sharing of information, step up the fight against cyber terrorism, cooperate in removing and stemming the channels for the dissemination of terrorist ideology, sever the corridors of movement for terrorists and plug their sources of financing. Meanwhile, the war on terror should be aimed at both it symptoms and root causes. Countries should take multi-pronged measures in the political, security, economic, financial and information fields, in particular through eradicating poverty, improving people's livelihood and promoting their development, so as to remove the breeding ground of terrorism.

Mr. Chairman,

The terrorist forces of the so-called "East Turkistan" as represented by "Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)" constitute a direct and real terrorist threat to China. Over the past year, the "East Turkistan" terrorists have engaged in instigating, plotting and carrying out several grossly violent terrorist attacks inside China which caused heavy casualties. The Chinese government has increased its efforts to guard against and combat ETIM and other terrorist forces of "East Turkistan". It has improved the gathering of counter-terrorism information and is stepping up efforts to formulate a Counter-terrorism Law in order to severely punish crimes of violence and terror, safeguard national and social stability, and effectively collaborate with the international community in the fight against terrorism.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to international counter-terrorism cooperation and actively participates in and pushes for bilateral and multilateral cooperation activities. China has established with over a dozen countries bilateral counter-terrorism consultation mechanisms. China has been working hard to strengthen regional cooperation against terrorism through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and is actively engaged in counter-terrorism cooperation in the Global Counter-terrorism Forum and under such mechanisms as BRICS, APEC and the ASEAN Regional Forum. The Chinese government supports countries in our region in their counter-terrorism efforts and has, to the best of its ability, provided other developing countries with materials, emergency humanitarian relief and training in aid of their fight against terrorism.

The Chinese government will continue to work with the international community in a concerted effort to eliminate terrorism and make its due contribution to the maintenance of peace, and stability throughout the world.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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