China urges end to unilateral coercive measures at UN

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Thursday delivered a joint statement on behalf of 28 member states at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, calling on the international community to firmly oppose and bring an end to unilateral coercive measures (UCMs)."Today's world is plagued by rampant unilateralism and raging unilateral coercive measures," Fu said, stressing that history has proven that UCMs are a major source of international turbulence and disorder."As the United Nations enters its ninth decade, the international community must remain clear-headed, strengthen unity and cooperation, and firmly oppose and bring an end to such unlawful practices," he said.Developing countries and their peoples continue to bear the brunt of UCMs, which violate the principle of sovereign equality and cooperation, interfere in other countries' internal affairs, run counter to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and undermine the foundation of multilateralism and the international rule of law, Fu said.Despite repeated calls by the international community for the urgent lifting of UCMs, these unlawful measures continue to have devastating, sometimes even life-threatening consequences for countries and their peoples, he said.UCMs, compounded by secondary sanctions and over-compliance, exacerbate existing humanitarian and economic challenges and threaten food, energy and financial security, Fu said.He also noted the growing use of tariffs as a tool of unilateral coercion, including additional tariffs based on unilateral determinations under domestic law and imposed under the pretext of national security or human rights.Such practices further politicize economic and trade issues, undermine the multilateral trading system, disrupt global industrial and supply chains, and impede the efforts of the countries concerned to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, he said.Moreover, UCMs severely violate basic human rights, including the right to life, health, development and education, and impede the ability of targeted countries to realize those rights, Fu said.The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of UCMs on the enjoyment of human rights of the UN Human Rights Council has pointed out that unilateral sanctions have led to shortages of health care services, medication and energy supplies in sanctioned countries, with people in vulnerable situations such as women, children and the elderly facing particularly dire circumstances, he added.Fu also expressed concern that UCMs and over-compliance have limited the ability of affected countries to access and acquire foreign investment and technologies, and hindered international cooperation in culture, arts, sports, travel, people-to-people exchanges and transport, including civil aviation.The 28 countries reaffirmed their opposition to UCMs and called on a few Western countries to heed the just calls of the international community, honor their commitments to upholding the UN Charter and international law, and "immediately, unconditionally, and completely lift all UCMs."They also called upon UN member states, the UN system and other international organizations to jointly oppose such unlawful practices and help targeted countries mitigate their plight.The 28 countries further requested the UN secretary-general to continue monitoring the imposition of unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion."The current circumstance calls for solidarity and unity rather than confrontation and division to address global challenges and promote and protect human rights for all," Fu said.Fu delivered the joint statement on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Russia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, the State of Palestine, Sudan, Uganda, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and China.