(Photo by Niu Xiaolei/Xin Hua News Agency)

Mr. President,

China associates itself with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of G77 and China.

For 22 consecutive years, the General Assembly has adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba, urging all countries, in compliance with the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law, to repeal or invalidate any laws or measures that have extraterritorial effects affecting the sovereignty of other States, the legitimate rights and interests of entities and persons under their jurisdiction and the freedom of trade and navigation.

Regrettably, however, over the years those resolutions have not been implemented effectively and the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba has not been lifted. This is not only a violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant General Assembly resolutions, but also a source of enormous economic and financial losses for Cuba. It is an impediment to efforts by the Cuban people to eradicate poverty, promote their economic and social development and attain the Millennium Development Goals; it impairs the rights of the Cuban people to survival and development; and it adversely affects normal economic, commercial and financial relations between Cuba and other countries. At a time when the recovery of the world economy is weak and the international community is severely challenged by a range of crises in the domains of food, energy and climate change, the embargo and sanctions against Cuba are more unreasonable than ever before.

Mr. President,

The Chinese Government has always maintained that the international community should base the development of mutual relations on the purposes and principles enunciated in the Charter of the United Nations, should respect the right of all countries independently to choose their social system and path of development, and should oppose the unilateral imposition on countries of military, political, economic or other sanctions. For its own part, China has always strictly observed and implemented the relevant General Assembly resolutions. China and Cuba are maintaining normal economic and trade relations and conducting personnel exchanges and the mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation in various areas continues to grow. This approach is both consistent with the aspirations of the two peoples and conducive to Cuba’s economic and social development.

Against the backdrop of a multi-polar world, economic globalization, cultural diversity and the democratization of international relations, there is an irreversible trend towards communication and cooperation on an equal footing between all countries. When differences arise between countries, dialogue among equals and friendly consultation are the best means of reaching a settlement. Like most other countries, China hopes that the United States, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant General Assembly resolutions, will put an end as soon as possible to its blockade against Cuba, and also hopes that relations between the two countries will continue to improve, thus promoting stability and development in the entire Latin American and Caribbean region. China will again vote in favor of the draft resolution submitted by Cuba under this agenda item.

Thank you, Mr. President.