Chinese envoy calls on efforts to cease unilateral coercive measures

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Developing countries continue to fall victim to unilateral coercive measures, which cause devastating, even life-threatening consequences, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Tuesday, calling on efforts to immediately and completely cease such illegal practice.

Delivering a joint statement on behalf of 28 member states at the Third Committee of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, Fu said that the world is facing interlocking global challenges with developing countries disproportionately affected, and a true, effective and functional multilateral system based on international solidarity, unity and cooperation is urgently needed more than ever.

And yet, developing countries and their populations continue to fall victim to unilateral coercive measures, which violate the principle of sovereign equality and cooperation, intervene in other countries' internal affairs, and disregard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, multilateralism and the basic norms of international relations, he said.

"Regrettably," the envoy continued, "despite the global call to urgently lift unilateral coercive measures, the imposition of these illegal measures continues to cause devastating, sometimes even life-threatening consequences, to targeted countries and their peoples."

Fu warned that unilateral coercive measures, coupled with secondary sanctions and over-compliance, exacerbate existing humanitarian and economic challenges, gravely affect the stability of the global production and supply chains, as well as food, energy, and financial security, and seriously undermine the world economic order and the efforts of the countries concerned to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Moreover, those measures violate all human rights, including the right to life, health, development, and education, and impede the ability of targeted countries to realize those rights, he noted, adding that the measures have grave humanitarian effects in countries and regions concerned.

Fu voiced concerns that unilateral coercive measures 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 transports, including civil aviation.

"We reaffirm our opposition to unilateral coercive measures and call on imposing states to immediately and completely cease such practice," the envoy said, urging member states, the UN system, and other international organizations to support the countries under these illegal practices and help them mitigate their hardships.

"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 stressed. ■