On July 16, the United Nations Security Council held an Open Debate on ‘Multilateral Cooperation in the Interest of a More Just, Democratic and Sustainable World Order’. The meeting was convened on the initiative of the Russian Federation and chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In his speech during the debate, China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong, noted that the world body had been founded in 1945, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and continued:
“Since then, a large number of countries have emerged from waves of national independence and liberation.” Seventy years ago, “the Chinese leaders put forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefits, and peaceful coexistence. The five principles of peaceful coexistence embody the spirit of the [UN] Charter.”
Now, President Xi Jinping’s proposal of building a community with a shared future for humanity has been put forward with the aim of carrying forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence under the new circumstances.
Fu Cong went on to say that today, “some obvious truths [are] being willfully distorted, while certain specious arguments gaining currency.” Responding to this, he continued, making pointed reference to a number of imperialist countries, principally the United States and Britain:
“We often hear the talk about a rules-based international order by some countries. But what kind of rules are they talking about? And who are the rule makers? No one has given us a clear and precise answer. In fact, the so-called rules-based international order advocated by some is really intended to create another system outside the existing system of international law and to seek legitimacy for double standards and exceptionalism. I would like to emphasise that there is only one order in the world, that is the international order based on international law. There is only one set of rules, and they are the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”
And, while many peace-loving countries and people are working tirelessly to achieve peace in response to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine:
“NATO, a regional military bloc left over from the Cold War, has been seeking to expand its sphere of influence, stopping at nothing to create false narratives, pouring oil on the fire wherever they go, stirring up confrontation between camps, and even shifting the blame to countries outside the region to frame them on the issue of Ukraine.”
This last comment clearly refers to accusations levelled against China at NATO’s Washington Summit earlier in July, when China was ludicrously described as being a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s Special Military Operation.
Doubtless with such wars of aggression as those waged against Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia in mind, Fu Cong went on to say that: “History has amply proved that wherever NATO’s hand extends, turmoil and chaos will ensue. China hereby advises NATO and certain countries to conduct some soul-searching and stop being the troublemakers who jeopardise common security at the expense of others.”
He also said that common development and common security are mutually reinforcing. A just and equitable international order cannot be built on the basis of developed countries getting ever richer while developing countries remain locked in poverty and the lack of development.
We reprint below the full text of Ambassador Fu Cong’s remarks. They were originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
President.
China appreciates Russia’s initiative to convene this open debate. I welcome Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presiding over today’s meeting.
To build a just, democratic, and sustainable international order is the joint pursuit of humanity. In 1945, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, our forefathers, upholding the spirit of multilateralism, established on the ruins of the Second World War the most universal, representative, and authoritative international organization, that is, the United Nations. The UN Charter, laying down the cornerstone of the modern international order and establishing the basic norms of contemporary international relations, is an embodiment of our noble ideal of working towards a just and equitable international order.
Since then, a large number of countries have emerged from waves of national independence and liberation. 70 years ago, in the face of the shadow of the Cold War and a divided world, how to realize the common ideals enshrined in the UN Charter was a question facing the world. To answer this question and echo the trend of the times, the Chinese leaders put forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefits, and peaceful coexistence. The five principles of peaceful coexistence embody the spirit of the Charter and have forged the basic norms of international relations that countries, large or small, strong or weak, whether coming from the East or the West, should treat each other with mutual respect and equality. These principles also constitute an important intellectual basis for making the international order more just and equitable.
Since the dawn of the 21st century, humanity has continued its exploration for a just and equitable international order. At present, the international landscape is increasingly defined by bloc politics, the world economy is facing anti-globalization headwinds, and the international governance is getting ever more fragmented. Humanity is once again faced with the historical choice of where to go from here. President Xi Jinping’s proposal of building a community with a shared future for mankind was put forward with the aim of carrying forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence under the new circumstances. China believes that in order to promote the building of a more just and equitable international order, efforts should be made in the following six areas.
First, we must uphold sovereign equality. Every country should be able to find its own place and play its role in the multipolar system. We must work jointly to promote a multipolar world in an equal and orderly manner.
Second, we must adhere to mutual respect, accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, respect the path of development and mode of system independently chosen by the people of each country, and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
Third, we must build common security based on the objective law of indivisibility of security, settle disputes through dialogue, and resolve differences through consultation, in order to build a more balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture.
Fourth, we must promote common development by promoting inclusive economic globalization, accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and striving to achieve the goal of leaving no country and no one behind.
Fifth, we must uphold fairness and justice, safeguard the authority of the United Nations and international law, promote global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and enhance the representation and the voice of developing countries.
Sixth, we must embrace openness and inclusiveness, promote equal dialogue, exchanges, and mutual learning among different civilizations, foster mutual understanding and friendship among peoples, and promote the common values of humanity.
President,
In today’s chaotic world, narratives on the international order cover a full range of opinions, with some obvious truths being willfully distorted, while certain specious arguments gaining currency. In light of the theme of today’s debate, I wish to make the following points.
First, we often hear the talk about a rules-based international order by some countries. But what kind of rules are they talking about? And who are the rule makers? No one has given us a clear and precise answer. In fact, the so-called rules-based international order advocated by some is really intended to create another system outside the existing system of international law and to seek legitimacy for double standards and exceptionalism. I would like to emphasize that there is only one order in the world, that is the international order based on international law. There is only one set of rules, and they are the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. There is no room for ambiguity on matters of principle, and the positions must be clearly staked out. It is time that those concepts that aim to confuse the public be put to rest.
Second, against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, countries are highly concerned about international common security, and many peace-loving countries and people are working tirelessly to bring peace. However, NATO, a regional military bloc left over from the Cold War, has been seeking to expand its sphere of influence, stopping at nothing to create false narratives, pouring oil on the fire wherever they go, stirring up confrontation between camps, and even shifting the blame to countries outside the region to frame them on the issue of Ukraine. This is just the opposite of what the international community is doing in promoting peace and negotiations. History has amply proved that wherever NATO’s hand extends, turmoil and chaos will ensue. China hereby advises NATO and certain countries to conduct some soul-searching and stop being the troublemakers who jeopardize common security at the expense of others.
Third, common development and common security are mutually reinforcing. They are the foundation of a sound international order, in which development is the master key to solving all problems. A just and equitable international order cannot be built on the basis of developed countries getting ever richer while developing countries remain locked in poverty and the lack of development in the long run. We must respond to the general trend of the collective rise of the Global South and make substantive strides in such areas as reform of the international financial architecture and artificial intelligence governance, so as to help and empower developing countries to catch up. Some individual countries have overstretched the concept of national security by building “small yard, high fence” and indiscriminately imposed unilateral sanctions to disrupt the global production and supply chains, which will ultimately lead to a situation of no winners, whether bilaterally or multilaterally. We must resolutely resist such erroneous practices.
President,
This year and the next, the United Nations will usher in such important agendas as the Summit of the Future and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN. We must seize these important historical opportunities and make joint efforts to bring the international community more closer under the flag of the United Nations, practice true multilateralism, and make unremitting efforts to build a just, democratic, and sustainable international order.
Thank you, President.
