Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, please allow me to congratulate you on your election to the chairmanship of the Sixth Committee of the 73rd General Assembly and congratulate other members of the Bureau on their elections.

At present, international counter-terrorism is undergoing complex and profound changes. On the one hand, the international community’s military campaign against terrorism has made positive progress, resulting in the complete defeat of “Islamic State” in the Middle East. On the other hand, the frequent occurrence of global terrorist activities has not been fundamentally reversed. There is still a long way to go to eliminate international terrorism. The international community should make concerted effort to respond to the threat. In this connection, China would like to emphasize the following four points:

First, build up consensus and strengthen cooperation. Terrorism is a threat to all mankind. The international community must work hard to build up consensus, strengthen cooperation, reject double standards and geopolitical interests, and adopt a zero-tolerance and non-selective attitude towards terrorism. We must resolutely fight terrorists, regardless of where they are, what pretexts they use, which countries they target, and what means they adopt. Meanwhile, dialogue should be held among different ethnic groups and religions on equal footing to avoid associating terrorism with any specific ethnic group and religion.

Second, address both the symptoms and the root causes of the problem. There are complex underlying causes of terrorism, but, in the final analysis, it is directly linked to the severe deficit in development, security and governance. As such, we should address the problem at its source. All countries should be committed to eradicating poverty, improving people’s livelihood, solving development problems to eliminate development deficit; embracing a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security to eliminate security deficit; and firmly advancing global security governance, promoting common development, prosperity and new international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, and building a community of shared future for mankind to eliminate governance deficit.

Third, give play to the leading role of the United Nations. All countries should support the United Nations and its Security Council in playing a leading and central role in international counter-terrorism cooperation. The United Nations is the most ideal platform for international counter-terrorism cooperation. Member States must conscientiously implement relevant Security Council resolutions and Global Counter-terrorism Strategy of the General Assembly and adopt a multipronged approach to combat terrorism. China expects the United Nations to fully unlock its potential and to do more in the elimination of international terrorism.

Fourth, strictly abide by the rules of international law. In counter-terrorism operations, we should comply with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned, and observe the rules of international law governing the use of force and the punishment of crimes. We look forward to the speedy conclusion and adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism by the General Assembly, which will further improve the international legal framework against terrorism.

Mr. Chairman,

China has actively participated in international counter-terrorism cooperation based on the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Up till now, China has established bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism consultation mechanisms with more than 20 countries, and actively participated in counter-terrorism cooperation within the framework of the UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, G20, APEC, and Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.

China is a victim of terrorism. Combating violent terrorist forces of “East Turkistan” represented by the “East Turkistan Islamic Movement” is the focus of China’s counter-terrorism efforts and an important part of the international fight against terrorism. In recent years, this terrorist organization has stepped up its collusion with international terrorist forces, and poses increasing threat to regional and international security. More and more countries have recognized the violent and terrorist nature as well as the real harm of the organization. We hope that the international community will continue to support and cooperate with China in its counter-terrorism efforts to jointly safeguard the security and stability of the region and the world at large.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.