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Explanation of Position by Counsellor YAO Shaojun at the Third Committee on the Draft Resolution "The Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity"

2017-11-20 23:22

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation joins the consensus on draft resolution entitled “The safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity” (L.35 Rev.1). China appreciates that Greece, as the coordinator, has convened several rounds of consultation on this draft, and made a lot of efforts to reach consensus among Member States. China wishes to state the following position on the draft resolution.

China expresses concern over the term “ media workers” in some paragraphs of the resolution. In our view, there is no clear and internationally agreed definition on media workers. With the rapid development and accessibility of information technology, especially the emergence of new media, the scope of “ media workers” is expanding. The ambiguity of this term and the lack of clear definition thereon have led to different interpretations. This might cause unnecessary misunderstanding of this resolution. During the consultations, China repeatedly proposed to change this term to “media professionals “, in order to avoid the afore-mentioned misunderstanding. However, our proposal was not taken on board. China expresses its regret at this.

We wish to stress here that China will remain committed to the comprehensive rule of law and actively fulfilling its obligations under relevant international law. We will, based on our domestic law, protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens, including journalists. And we will interpret this resolution as we understand it and in accordance with our domestic law. We will not accept any element that contradicts our laws, regulations and policies.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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