New York, 7 October 2009

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election to the chair of the 6th committee. I'd also like to congratulate other members of the bureau on their election.

The Chinese government has consistently opposed and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and is against using terrorism as a means to achieve political objectives. We support efforts by the international community to combat international terrorism, and support the UN, the Security Council and the GA in playing a leading and coordinating role in this fight. At the same time, the Chinese government believes that in fighting international terrorism, the UN Charter and the relevant principles of international law must be strictly followed and we must avoid linking terrorism with any specific civilization, ethnic group or religion. My delegation is of the view that, for measures by the international community against terrorism to be effective, we must make parallel efforts both in prevention and punishment. Furthermore, we must tackle not only the symptoms but also the root causes of terrorism by addressing the underlying issues such as conflicts, social unrest and injustice in international relations.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government has vigorously supported and participated in international counter-terrorism cooperation. At the international level, China has taken an active part in counter-terrorism cooperation within the UN system and has joined in 11 international conventions against terrorism. China takes its convention obligations seriously and has fulfilled them in good faith. At the regional level, China has taken an active part in cooperation on combating terrorism within the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In 2001, Members of SCO concluded the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism. In June 2009, the Heads of State of SCO members signed in Yekaterinburg the SCO Counter-Terrorism Convention which cements the legal base for counter-terrorism interaction in the SCO framework. In addition, China has also carried out counter-terrorism cooperation with its neighbors and other countries.

Mr. Chairman,

We are pleased to note that, thanks to the joint efforts of the international community, a legal framework against international terrorism has taken shape within the UN system, which covers various terrorist crimes and preventative measures. China is in favor of formulating a comprehensive international convention against terrorism in order to further enhance the existing legal framework. We have noticed that due to differences among relevant parties on some issues, the drafting work has been progressing slowly. We call on all relevant parties to demonstrate political will by pushing the work forward in a cooperative and constructive spirit in order to achieve a feasible solution at an early date. In addition, China supports the holding of a high-level meeting on combating terrorism under the auspices of the UN when conditions are ripe. Such a meeting will provide policy guidance to the international legal cooperation against terrorism.

Mr. Chairman,

There are still a lot of challenges for the full implementation of the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy adopted by GA. We strongly believe that all relevant departments and specialized agencies within UN system should strengthen coordination and coherence in their efforts to push forward the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the Strategy. We also believe all member States of UN should further strengthen their cooperation in this regard.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.