On July 2, the UN Security Council held an high-level Open Debate on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Pandemics and Security”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer and AU Commissioner Amira briefed the Council. Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, participated in the meeting and expounded China's position.
Ambassador Zhang said, COVID-19 continues to spread across the world. Countries all face the daunting tasks of fighting disease, saving lives, stabilizing economy and ensuring livelihood. We must put people and life first, do our utmost to protect people’s safety and health, and minimize the impact of the virus. The pandemic once again proves that we live in a global village and have a shared destiny. Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon in fighting the pandemic. China is ready to work with all parties, uphold the UN-centered international system, and support the WHO in contributing more to the global fight against COVID-19.
Ambassador Zhang emphasized that the Security Council should take actions in the following four aspects: First, accelerating the implementation of the Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire. The international community should seize the opportunity to encourage the parties to conflict to respond to the appeal, immediately cease hostilities, jointly fight the pandemic, save lives and seek peaceful settlement through political and diplomatic means. Second, stepping up humanitarian assistance. China highly appreciates the tireless efforts by the WHO, ICRC and other UN health and humanitarian specialized agencies in coordinating and providing health assistance. Humanitarian assistance should abide by the UN Charter and principles established by GA resolution 46/182. Efforts should also be made to protect humanitarian workers. Third, making every effort to ensure safety and security of peacekeepers. We hope the member states and the Secretariat will continue to fully implement the Security Council resolution 2518, help the troop contributing countries and peacekeeping missions strengthen early warning, health support, critical medical capacity, and improve training to truly safeguard life and health of peacekeepers. Fourth, the Security Council should actively respond to the Secretary-General’s appeal, and urge relevant countries to act in a humanitarian spirit to immediately lift unilateral coercive measures amid COVID-19. The Security Council should also explore how to fundamentally eliminate unilateral coercive measures to lesson the sufferings of affected countries and peoples.
Ambassador Zhang pointed out that since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has provided assistance in various forms to more than 150 countries and international organizations, including all those on the agenda of the Security Council. China has proposed recommendations and measures on the global fight against COVID-19, including its decisions to make its vaccine, once available, a global public good, provide 2 billion US dollars in international aid to affected countries, especially developing countries, cancel government interest-free loans owed by African countries due to mature by the end of 2020, and implement the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. To strengthen international coordination, China also held an extraordinary China-Africa summit on solidarity against COVID-19 and a High-level Video Conference for international cooperation in the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.
