Maintaining International Peace and Security: Reflect on History, Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes and Principles

 of the Charter of the United Nations

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the victory of the world anti-Fascist war. The United Nations, arising from the gunsmoke of the World War II, is the result of mankind’s long struggle for peace and development. It is the living manifestation of “saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our life time has brought untold sorrow to mankind” and “practicing tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors”. It also reflects the common ideal of the international community for maintaining peace and security and promoting economic development. As the most universal, representative and authoritative inter-governmental organization, the United Nations has endured many trials and traversed an extraordinary journey, playing a key role in maintaining world peace, promoting common development and advancing international cooperation.

As the President of the Security Council in February, China proposes an Open Debate on “Maintaining International Peace and Security: Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”. The reasons for holding this Open Debate are as follows:

Since the founding of the United Nations 70 years ago, the world has gone through profound and complex changes. Nevertheless, the trend toward multipolarity remains unchanged; the process of economic globalization remains unchanged; and the fact of peace and security as the two underlying themes of our time remains unchanged. Humanity now faces an unprecedented historic opportunity and an ever brighter future for development. The important principles established by the Charter of the United Nations, including respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of international disputes and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, together make up the foundation of contemporary international law and international relations. They are also the core elements that must be upheld in the international rule of law. History has repeatedly proven that these principles, if upheld and promoted, will be a blessing for mankind; while any attempt to deviate from or deny them would only cause endless troubles. Member States should take full stock of the background of the founding of the United Nations with a view to cherishing and maintaining peace for the future. There will be hope of peace only when the scourge of war is not forgotten. Member states should reaffirm their strong commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations as well as the basic norms governing international relations. Meanwhile, Member States should also commit themselves to the noble cause of maintaining international peace and security, promoting international fairness and justice, and never going into war again. The international community should advocate the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, promote a new model of international relations based on win-win cooperation, and work together to build a harmonious world of enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity.

We hope this Open Debate could serve as an important opportunity for Member States to reaffirm their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, create a proper atmosphere for the United Nations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the victory of the anti-Fascist war, and kick off the relevant commemoration process. We suggest that the Open Debate focus on the following aspects:

l We should maintain the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The Charter provides a firm foundation for the universal application of the international law to all countries and the advance of international rule of law. All countries should review the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, abide by the commitment of maintaining peace and international rule of law, and advance international rule of law and international fairness and justice.

l We should uphold the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs. Sovereignty is the symbol of a country’s independence, and it is also the embodiment and reliable guarantee of national interests. The sovereign independence and territorial integrity of countries must not be infringed upon. Countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are all equal members of the international community, and they are all entitled to participate in international affairs on an equal footing. Countries' internal affairs should be managed by their own peoples. Member States should respect each other's core interests and major concerns as well as the social system and development path chosen by countries themselves. The Security Council should respect the leading role of the countries involved and pay attention to their concerns when deploying UN peacekeeping operations and carrying out post-conflict peace-building efforts.

l We should commit to peaceful settlement of international disputes. The international community should resolve differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation and in a peaceful way. The Security Council should advocate peaceful solutions to disputes and support, as a matter of priority, the efforts of the countries involved and regional organizations to resolve disputes through dialogue, negotiation, reconciliation, good offices and other peaceful means. Before exercising the right of recommendation in accordance with Chapter VI of the Charter, the Security Council should fully consider whether it is helpful to the ongoing efforts of peaceful settlement of disputes. The Security Council should be cautious with the use of coercive measures, and take such actions only when international peace and security is under real threat.

l We should uphold democracy and rule of law in international relations. Member States should abide by the international law and universally recognized basic principles governing international relations. They should distinguish right from wrong and promote peace and development with equally applicable rules. We should all uphold the authority and sanctity of the international law and international order. All countries must exercise their rights in accordance with the law and reject any attempt to distort international law. Equal and democratic participation must be upheld in the making of international rules. In particular, small and medium-sized developing countries, which make up the majority of the UN membership, should participate in the making of international rules related to peace and security on an equal footing.

l We should pursue common development and win-win cooperation. The foundation of common security is the development and prosperity of all countries. While pursuing one’s own development, countries should also work for the development of others, so that more people will stand to benefit from the gains of development. Win-win cooperation should be the basic policy goals for Member States in dealing with international affairs. Member States should combine their domestic interests with the interests of others, and strive to expand the convergence of interests among all countries. We should act in greater unity, shoulder common responsibilities and tackle global challenges together.