February 15, 2024
Madam Chairman:
I thank Deputy Secretary-General Voronkov, Executive Director Gelman, and Secretary-General Stock for their briefings. Over the years, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate of the Security Council and Interpol have actively promoted international counter-terrorism cooperation and done a lot of fruitful work, for which China appreciates.
Currently, the threat of terrorism faced by the international community remains severe. Two recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan have once again sounded the alarm that the hidden dangers of terrorism are far from eliminated. China strongly condemns the attack and firmly supports Pakistan’s unremitting efforts to eradicate terrorism and achieve social security and stability. The Secretary-General’s report pointed out that the “Islamic State” and its affiliated organizations are still very active. Their terrorist activities are intertwined with ethnic and regional disputes, and they use the tense situation in Gaza to incite religious intolerance and encourage lone wolf attacks. As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues to escalate, its spillover effects have led to a surge in hate crimes in many countries and an increased risk of terrorist attacks. The top priority is to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible to prevent the situation in the Middle East from slipping into a more dangerous situation.
Facing complex situations and arduous tasks, the international community must further strengthen unity, deepen cooperation, and spare no effort to combat terrorism.
First, we must uphold correct ideas and strengthen political determination. Terrorists have a wide range of activities, complex organizational networks, and frequent personnel movements, making it difficult for one country to respond and eradicate them. The international community should uphold a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, support the United Nations in playing a core coordinating role in international counter-terrorism operations, fully implement relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and combat all countries listed by the Security Council. terrorist organizations and personnel. There are no good or bad terrorists. We must resolutely abandon double standards, oppose selective counter-terrorism, and put an end to the politicization and instrumentalization of counter-terrorism issues.
Second, we must highlight key directions and further optimize resource allocation. The Secretary-General’s report pointed out that the concentration of terrorist forces in Afghanistan, and the collusion of terrorist forces such as the “Islamic State in Khorasan Province” and the “East Turkistan Islamic Movement” not only undermined Afghanistan’s security situation, but also threatened regional peace and security. The international community must remain highly vigilant about this, unite to fight against all terrorist forces, and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a distribution center for terrorist organizations again. Africa has long been at the forefront of international counter-terrorism. The terrorist situation in West Africa and the Sahel region is severe, and insufficient counter-terrorism capabilities are an important reason. The United Nations and the international community should combine the needs of African countries, allocate greater resources to support African countries in strengthening capacity building at the legislative, judicial and law enforcement levels, and improve the effectiveness of counter-terrorism.
Third, we must adhere to comprehensive policies and strive to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. The Secretary-General’s report repeatedly emphasizes that terrorism cannot be eradicated through security measures alone. Counter-terrorism must establish a systematic concept, coordinate political, economic, judicial, social and other means, and implement a multi-pronged approach in a comprehensive manner. It is necessary to promote equal dialogue, mutual learning, and harmonious coexistence between different civilizations and religions, and abandon the so-called “clash of civilizations theory.” We must adhere to political solutions to hot-spot issues and prevent terrorist forces from taking advantage of conflict situations to expand. It is necessary to promote sustainable economic and social development and break the vicious cycle of “fear due to poverty” and “poverty due to fear”. We must pay attention to youth education and employment issues and prevent young people from being seduced by terrorist organizations and going astray. It is necessary to actively carry out preventive counter-terrorism and de-extremization work, focus on dealing with the misuse of the Internet to spread terror and extremist ideas, and reduce their living space.
Madam Chairman,
China has always attached great importance to and actively participated in international anti-terrorism cooperation. It has helped developing countries, especially African countries, strengthen anti-terrorism capacity building through bilateral and multilateral channels. Through the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, it has provided assistance to the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and other agencies to carry out anti-terrorism projects. support. Recently, China released the white paper “China’s Anti-Terrorism Legal System and Practice” to systematically summarize the practice and experience in China’s anti-terrorism legal system construction. Looking into the future, we will continue to join hands with all parties to fully implement the global security initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, combat all forms of terrorism, and jointly safeguard international peace and security.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.