Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation congratulates you and other members of the Bureau on your election. We will actively cooperate with you and support you in discharging your responsibility. We are confident that under your leadership, the Committee will be able to complete the consideration of various agenda items with success. Our gratitude also goes to the previous Bureau for the work done.

Colonies and Non-Self-Governing Territories are issues left over from the history of Western colonial rule. It is the goal set out in the UN Charter to assist the colonies and their peoples to exercise their right to self-determination and strive for independence. It is also the direction in which the member states are making joint efforts.

Over the past 70-plus years, vast number of colonial countries and peoples in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have rid themselves of Western colonial rule and aggression and achieved independence through their unrelenting efforts and persistent struggles. The UN General Assembly adopted the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples" and established the Special Committee on Decolonization, which have effectively facilitated the decolonization process.

At present, there are still more than 2 million people that live in 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories around the world, mostly in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Problems and disputes left over from the colonial past are intricate and complex, causing much suffering and long-standing problems for the local people, severely hampering local development and jeopardizing the people’s legitimate rights. The traditional colonial way of thinking and colonial behavior are still very much evident. The decolonization process still has a long way to go.

Mr. Chairman,

China has consistently supported the efforts of the peoples of the colonies and Non-Self-Governing Territories to exercise their right to self-determination. On the issue of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, we urge the relevant Administering Powers to take effective measures to promote the local economy, socio-cultural development and educational undertakings while protecting local natural resources and the environment to achieve coordinated economic and social development. The militarization activities must stop. There should be investigations and compensations in localities that have experienced the catastrophic consequences of nuclear tests. In the case of territorial disputes involving Non-Self-Governing Territories, we call upon all parties concerned to resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue and negotiations in accordance with the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council so as to find a lasting political solution acceptable for all.

The UN Third Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism is drawing to a close. The Chinese delegation will continue to actively support and participate in the work of the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly and the Special Committee on Decolonization. We will work closely with other Member States to achieve positive results in the UN Third Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism so as to fully fulfill the historical mission entrusted to us by the UN Charter and the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.