Mr. President, 

I thank Secretary-General Guterres for his briefing. 

It has been one year since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. Its development has always tugged at our heartstrings. The international community, while deeply concerned about the prospect of the expanding and prolonging of the conflict, should think cool-headedly about how to stop the fighting as soon as possible, and how to realize long-term peace and stability in Ukraine and Europe. 

China issued earlier today a position document on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. We have always taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue, and are ready to continue to play a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and resolving the crisis. Here I would like to highlight the following points. 

First, when handling and solving international disputes, universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, must be upheld. The sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively guaranteed. Observing universally recognized international law and the basic norms governing international relations bears on the stability of the international system and international fairness and justice. They should be equally and uniformly applied in every place and on every issue without exception. Some country, while stressing sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Ukraine issue, is blatantly interfering in other countries' internal affairs and undermining their sovereignty and territorial integrity. This reveals its double standard at full display. The international community is clear-eyed about this. 

Second, to facilitate a political solution to the Ukraine issue, there is a need to pursue common security. Security is not an exclusive right enjoyed only by some countries. The security of one country should not be pursued at the expense of others. Strengthening or even expanding military blocs will only undermine regional security and will never bring about peace. Russia, Ukraine, and European countries are neighbors that cannot be physically moved away. To realize lasting peace and stability in Europe, the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation must be abandoned, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly, so as to build a balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security architecture.

Third, conflicts have no winners. Launching diplomatic negotiations is the only right way to solve the Ukraine crisis. The international community should promote peace talks with the highest sense of urgency and work to create enabling factors and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. Bringing parties to the conflict back to the negotiating table is not going to be easy, but it is the first step toward a political solution. Just now, Secretary-General Guterres also appealed that we give peace a chance. We call on Russia and Ukraine to resume negotiations without any preconditions. Ukraine is not an arena for fights between major countries, No one should seek to benefit from the conflict at the cost of the Ukrainian people. 

Fourth, it is imperative to never cross the red line of nuclear security under any circumstances. Nuclear weapons must never be used, and nuclear war must never be fought. Faced with the risk that the Ukraine crisis could lead to an escalation of the conflict, major countries bear special and important responsibilities to maintain communication and coordination and to do everything they can to prevent a nuclear crisis. The international community should jointly oppose armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, ensure strict compliance with the Convention on Nuclear Safety, among others, and support the IAEA in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities. 

Fifth, the humanitarian crisis is worsening and should be proactively and properly addressed. The international humanitarian law is a code of conduct that must be strictly observed in conflict situations. Relevant parties should avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect the vulnerable, including women and children, ensure humanitarian access, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war. The international community should increase humanitarian assistance, help restore civilian infrastructure, and ensure the basic livelihood of refugees and displaced persons, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. At the same time, humanitarian operations should earnestly follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality and avoid politicization. 

Sixth, each country is responsible for the important task of promoting its people's livelihood and development, and efforts should be made to manage the spillovers of the crisis. The Ukraine crisis has far-reaching impacts, but developing countries are not parties to this conflict, and should not pay an excessively high price for it. Some relevant parties have been resorting to unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure, which cannot solve any issue, and can only undermine the stability of the global industrial and supply chains and exacerbate the global food, energy, and financial crises. We hope that the relevant parties will take responsible actions and stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. The Black Sea Grain Initiative and the MoU signed by the UN and Russia on the export of food products and fertilizers have great significance for ensuring global food security and should be implemented fully and effectively in a balanced manner. 

Mr. President, 

The road to peace will not be smooth. But no matter how complicated the situation is, we must never give up our hopes for peace and efforts for peace. On the Ukraine issue, China has always stood and will continue to stand on the side of peace and dialogue. We stand ready to work with all parties to promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and strive for the early arrival of peace. 

Thank you, Mr. President.