Mr. President,

I wish to thank President Abraham for his presentation of the work of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the past year.

Over the past year, the ICJ has carried out large amount of judicial activities and China wishes to express its appreciation to all the judges and staff members for their diligent work.

Mr. President,

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the inaugural sitting of the ICJ. Over the past 70 years, the ICJ has reached over 120 judgements and issued close to 30 advisory opinions. Through these judicial activities, the ICJ has advanced international rule of law through interpretation, application and development of rules of international law. With "consent of the states" as the prerequisite, the ICJ has worked in an objective and fair manner for the peaceful settlement of international disputes and relaxation of tension, thus contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security.

At the ceremony held in April this year in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the ICJ, I, as the rotating president of the Security Council, had the honor of delivering a video message in which I highly commended the work of the ICJ on behalf of the Security Council. The ICJ and the Security Council, as two major organs of the UN, have maintained close interaction and communication, working within their respective spheres of competence and collaborating while maintaining their division of labor in a joint effort to fulfill their mission of upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China hopes to see increased exchanges between the ICJ and the Security Council.

Mr. President,

Against the backdrop of the complex and evolving international situation and enhanced efforts to improve global governance, peace and development remain the themes of our times. With the continuous emergence of global and regional challenges and hot-spot issues, the international community is calling for international rule of law and the reform of the global governance system in the hope for a fairer and more rational international order. The ICJ should answer the calls of the new situation and keep abreast with new developments, and continue to promote international rule of law through high-quality judicial activities guided by the UN Charter so it can play an even bigger role in the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the maintenance of international peace and security, thus making its contributions to an international order that is fairer and more rational.

China has always been a firm defender of and an active participant in international rule of law and is committed to safeguarding the authority and authenticity of international law. We will, as always, continue to support the ICJ as it faithfully implements its mandate. China has consistently upheld the basic principles of international law and the fundamental norms governing international relations which are based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We advocate multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of international disputes through friendly consultations and actively contributed Chinese wisdom and strength to international rule of law. China will continue to advocate global governance concepts of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit, work to build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, endeavor to create a community of shared future for mankind, and join hands with the rest of the international community to build a world of lasting peace, common prosperity, fairness and justice.

Thank you, Mr. President.