Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation would like to thank the Chairman of the Special Committee for his introduction of the work of the 2011 annual session of the Special Committee.

At that session, items concerning “the impact and implementation of sanctions”, and “assistance to third states affected by the application of sanctions” were discussed. My delegation is of the view that the Security Council should use caution in applying sanctions and try to minimize as much as possible their negative impact on civilians and third states. China has taken note of the efforts by the Council to improve the application of sanctions with a more precise targeting. Such efforts should be acknowledged. In the meantime, given the fact that the impact of sanctions are strong and extensive, and the potential of producing negative impacts on third states still remains, discussions of the two sanctions-related items are still relevant. Therefore, the Chinese delegation is in favor of continuing discussing these items on a priority basis at the next session of the Special Committee.

On the issue of requesting the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion regarding the legal consequences of the resort of the use of force without authorization of the Security Council, China believes that the item will help clarify further the relevant rules of the international law on the use of force, and as such, are happy to see the consideration of this issue by the Special Committee.

Mr. Chairman,

While supporting the Special Committee in its deliberation of the afore-mentioned traditional items, my delegation is also open to new proposals that are relevant and promising. China noted the proposal by Ghana at the 2010 annual session to place on the agenda of the Special Committee an item entitled “Principles and practical measures/mechanisms for strengthening and ensuring more effective cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations”, and the proposal by Venezuela at the 2011 annual session to establish an open-ended working group to study the proper implementation of the Charter of the United Nations with respect to the functional relationship of its organs. Like others, the Chinese delegation looks forward to a more detailed introduction by these two delegations of their proposals in order to be able to contribute to the discussions.

Mr. Chairman,

On the question of improving the working methods of the Special Committee and enhancing its efficiency, my delegation is always in favor of exploring new approaches and new ideas to address this issue while acknowledging the work by the Special Committee. The Chinese delegation would like to take this opportunity to call on all sides to demonstrate political will by taking an active part in the work of the Special Committee so as to utilize this forum to contribute to safeguarding the authority of the UN Charter and maintaining international peace and security.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation is pleased to see the progress made in compiling the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council. We appreciate the efforts by the Secretariat in this regard. My delegation hopes that the Secretariat will work harder to meet the requests contained in the report of the Special Committee.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the Chinese delegation would like to once again express its appreciation to the Special Committee for its positive role in safeguarding the authority of the UN Charter, maintaining international peace and security and promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.