Mr. President,
Terrorism is the common
enemy of whole mankind and poses a threat to international
peace and security. At the very beginning of the New Year,
it is of great significance for us to gather at the august
hall of the Security Council to comprehensively review the
past international counter-terrorism cooperation and discuss
the priority and direction of our future
work.
It is over one year now since the
“911”attacks, yet this inhumanly tragic incident
is still haunting us from time to time. Moreover, such
traumatic tragedies caused by terrorism are still unfolding,
without the slightest sign of ending. Horrible blast on Bali
Island, Indonesia. Barbarian hostage-taking at the theatre
in Moscow. Sudden attacks in Mombasa, Kenya. All these have
enabled the international community to see deeper the danger
of terrorism, the security threat facing mankind, and the
urgency of better anti-terror cooperation.
Mr.
President,
Frequent terrorist attacks reflect
profoundly all sorts of deep-seated problems the
international community encounters. Continuous local
conflicts and mutual hatred among different races and ethnic
groups have granted terrorists all kinds of disguise in
their evil attempts and acts. Chronical backwardness, the
gap between the rich and the poor and social injustice have
become the hotbed breeding and nourishing terrorism.
Economic globalization and informatization, which are
developing at breathtaking speed, have armed terrorism with
expedite means of transmission. Lack of understanding and
tolerance among different civilizations has aided terrorism
to bully around.
At the recent 16th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Jiang
Zemin pointed out in most explicit terms that we oppose
terrorism in all its forms, and that we have to strengthen
international cooperation to address both the symptoms and
causes of terrorism, guard against and crack down hard on
terrorist activities and eliminate the roots of terrorism
with stepped-up efforts. It is the consistent proposition of
the Chinese Government that we need to have clear target and
sound evidence to fight terrorism. There should not be
“double standards” in counter-terrorism, nor
should it be linked with any particular country, nation or
religion. In the war on terror, there must be an integrated
approach with due regard to properly handling of such issues
as development and regional conflicts.
At
present, the international struggle against terrorism has
entered a new phase. It is extremely important for us to
look at and promote the struggle from a historical and macro
point of view. In this connection, the Chinese Government
wishes to share the following views.
First, the
kernel of counter-terrorism is the maintenance of peace and
security of mankind. Rendering this world or its regions
unstable is the goal of terrorists and also what they depend
on for survival. Such hotspot issues as the Middle East,
Iraq and Afghanistan are dragging on and on without any
solution, and will inevitably affect the international
cooperation on counter-terrorism, to which we have to pay
particular attention. The war on terror is for the purpose
of freeing the mankind from the threats to their peace and
security. All the measures, ways and means employed by the
international community have to be conducive to easing and
resolving tensions both internationally and regionally,
rather than the contrary. It is incumbent on the
international community to foster a new security concept
featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and
cooperation so as to create a favorable macro-environment
for the struggle against terrorism.
Second, the
basis of counter-terrorism is universal development and
common prosperity. Where there are backwardness and poverty,
there are conflicts and turmoil. The prolonged violence and
impoverishment in some developing countries have made them
easy prey to the manipulation of terrorists. When it comes
to stronger development efforts and tougher moves against
terrorism, we must be careful not to promote one at the
expense of the other but to give equal emphasis to both,
addressing both the symptom and root causes. Only when we
succeed in achieving common development by facilitating each
other’s economy can we eradicate the root causes of
terrorism. Only when we narrow the wealth gap and make
societies fairer and more equitable can we deprive terrorist
activities of their soil of existence, And only when we
truly fulfill the global development strategy that allows
all to exist, to win and to share the benefits of prosperity
can we deny terrorism its last
sanctuary.
Third, the guarantee of
counter-terrorism is the closer communication and
integration among civilizations. Terrorism is a common enemy
of all civilizations, ethnic groups and religions. Given
their difference in history, customs and beliefs, we ought
to encourage all countries, ethnic groups, civilizations and
religions to respect one another, live with one another in
peace and harmony, seek common grounds while shelving
differences, and learn from each other in an open and
accommodating manner. The diversity of civilizations is a
source of human progress. Counter-terrorism should provide
different civilizations with a new opportunity to learn from
each other through mutual exchanges, a new starting point
for their dialogue and integration, and a new engine for
their common progress and prosperity, rather than a cause
for greater ethnic hatred, racial conflict, clashes of
civilizations or estrangement between
peoples.
Fourth, the key to counter-terrorism
is stronger and deeper international cooperation. As a
challenge at the global level, terrorism must be dealt with
jointly by countries working hand in hand. What has
transpired in the past year and more shows that no country
can, or should, stay away from the international campaign
against terrorism. The success of this campaign requires
solidarity and cooperation among countries. It requires
clearly-defined and joint actions, guided by the purposes
and principles of the UN Charter and universally recognized
norms of international law.
To fight against
terrorism will be a protracted war as it involves many
aspects of endeavors. As the focal point of the
international regime of collective security, the Security
Council is duty-bound to provide guidance to nations, global
or regional organizations in their operations against
terrorism and to facilitate more effective cooperation in
this area.
The Counter-Terrorism Committee
should continue to monitor the implementation of the
relevant Security Council resolutions by clarifying further
the lines of thinking, stressing on the focal points and
effects and formulating detailed plans in this respect. The
Committee should pay great attention to the developing
countries’ capacity-building in counter-terrorism. It
calls on the Committee to put forward new measures, means
and methods and in particular to determine as soon as
possible its policy orientation and priority
areas.
Mr. President,
China is a
responsible country that loves peace, treasures peace and
endeavors to defend peace. We resolutely support and
actively participate in the international struggle against
terrorism and push for the leading role of the United
Nations. We have implemented in real earnest the relevant
Security Council resolutions and joined the overwhelming
majority of the international anti-terrorism conventions. We
have actively advocated regional cooperation to fight
terrorism and strengthen such efforts in APEC, Shanghai
Cooperation Organization and ASEAN Regional Forum. We have
conducted fruitful bilateral cooperation with the countries
concerned in the war on terror on the basis of equality,
two-way cooperation and mutual benefit.
All
departments and agencies in China have stepped up their
efforts to fight against terrorism and have adopted a series
of measures in such fields as legislation, aviation, finance
and customs to prevent the occurrence of terrorist
activities. The Amendment to the Criminal Law of the
People’s Republic of China clearly defines terrorist
behaviors and their financing as breach of law.
China’s Ministry of Public Security has established
for that purpose an anti-terrorism bureau. China’s
banking system is making efforts to prepare and establish a
center for overseeing financial Transactions and payments to
prevent money-laundering.
Mr.
President,
China is a victim of terrorism.
Having long colluded with the al-Qaeda, the “East
Turkistan” terror organizations have perpetrated
numerous terrorist attacks in China’s Xinjiang and the
neighboring regions of Central Asia, seriously threatening
peace and security in these areas. With an increasing
disclosure of the crimes committed by the “East
Turkistan” terrorist organizations, more and more
countries have come to recognize the terrorist nature of the
“East Turkistan” and have rendered increasing
understanding and support to the Chinese Government in its
fight against terrorism. In September last year, the
Security Council put the “East Turkistan Islamic
Movement”(ETIM) on the list of terrorist
organizations, a move that consigned the “East
Turkistan” group into the dustpan of history. The
Chinese Government is ready to join all the parties to
effectively fight against the “East Turkistan”
forces of terror, safeguard a peaceful and secure life for
the Chinese people of all nationalities and maintain
regional peace and stability.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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