China's envoy defends multilateralism principle of UN Charter

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Thursday expounded on China's position of firmly upholding multilateralism and the UN Charter.

"China, as the first country to sign the UN Charter, has consistently and scrupulously adhered to the purposes and principles of the Charter and has unfailingly supported efforts to defend the authority and functions of the United Nations," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said in remarks to the Security Council, which held a debate on upholding the founding treaty of the UN nearly 75 years after its adoption.

"The UN Charter is a great historical text that came into being in the 20th century. As a cornerstone of multilateralism, the charter establishes the basic norms governing international relations in the present day, develops generally recognized principles of international law, and charts the way forward for human society," Zhang said.

To commemorate the treaty signed in June 1945, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives of more than 110 countries attended the meeting and made statements.

"At this time when global fault lines risk exploding, we must return to fundamental principles; we must return to the framework that has kept us together; we must come home to the UN Charter," Guterres said.

Guterres said that present and past disagreements must not be an obstacle to action to address current threats. "War is never inevitable; it is a matter of choice－and often it is the product of easy miscalculations. And peace, too, is never inevitable; it is the product of hard work, and we must never take it for granted."

Zhang said that unilateralism is dealing heavy blows to the international rule of law and the international order, while protectionism is "plunging the world economy into a pit of uncertainties" and "acts of bullying" are threatening global peace and stability.

Zhang said revisiting and reminding ourselves of the spirit of the charter is "all the more relevant given the present context".

The recent US unilateral "adventurist act" has led to a high degree of tension in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region, said Zhang, referring to the recent assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. He said China supports Guterres' call for peace.

"China calls on the relevant parties to exercise maximum restraint, do the utmost to return to dialogue and consultation without delay, jointly work for the de-escalation of tensions and uphold the JCPOA(the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)," said Zhang, referring to the nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers in 2015.

Zhang said that if the situation in the region span out of control, it would not serve the interests of any party. Restoring peace is of crucial importance to the entire world.

He called on the council to uphold its responsibility vested by the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com