Photo by UN PHOTO 

Mr. President,

Let me begin by welcoming the report submitted by the Secretary General under this agenda item. The Chinese delegation associates itself with the statement made by Fiji on behalf of G77 and China.

For 21 consecutive years, the UN General Assembly has adopted by an overwhelming majority resolutions on the "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba", urging all countries to abide by the UN Charter and the norms of international law, repeal or invalidate any laws and measures which are of "extraterritorial" nature and infringe upon the sovereignty of another state and the legitimate rights and interests of the entities and individuals under the jurisdiction of that state, and which have an adverse impact on the freedom of trade and navigation.

Regrettably, however, those resolutions have never been effectively implemented, and the US continues to impose economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. Such practice has inflicted enormous economic and financial losses on Cuba. Statistics show that, taking into account the depreciation of US dollars against gold in the international market, by April 2013, the embargo had resulted in direct economic losses to Cuba in the amount of 1.157327 trillion US Dollars. The embargo has led to shortages of supplies and seriously undermined the Cuban economy, creating tremendous obstacles to the economic and social development of Cuba. The embargo has caused enormous pains to the Cuban people and severely impeded their efforts to eradicate poverty, promote economic and social development and achieve the MDGs. The embargo has violated the basic human rights of the Cuban people to food, health and education and their right to survival and development. It has not only caused major setbacks to the Cuban economy, but also affected the normal economic, commercial and financial interactions between Cuba and other countries, thereby undermining the interests and sovereignty of third countries.

The embargo against Cuba is strongly opposed by the majority of UN member states as it is a blatant violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and relevant GA resolutions. The call of the international community is getting louder and louder, demanding that the US government change its policy towards Cuba, lift embargo and normalize its relations with Cuba. This fact has been fully reflected in the Secretary General's report this year.

Mr. President,

The Chinese government has always advocated that countries should develop mutual relations on the basis of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter while respecting the right of other countries to independently choose their own social system and development path. China is opposed to any unilateral sanctions against other countries by military, political, economic or other means. Meanwhile, China has strictly followed and implemented relevant GA resolutions. China and Cuba have maintained normal economic, trade and personnel exchanges. Our friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields has been growing. This is what our two peoples want, and is in the interest of the economic and social development of Cuba.

In today's world, dialogue, exchanges and harmonious coexistence represent the mainstream of international relations. Exchanges and cooperation on an equal footing among countries have become the dominant trend. The best way to settle differences and disputes is dialogues on an equal footing and friendly consultation. China hopes that the US will act according to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the relevant GA resolutions and terminate its embargo against Cuba as soon as possible. China also hopes for a steady improvement of the US-Cuba relationship which would in turn advance the stability and development in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China will again vote in favor of the draft resolution submitted by Cuba under this agenda item.

Thank you, Mr. President.