Remarks by Ambassador Dai Bing at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Issue of Ukraine

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February 6, 2023

Madam President,

China expresses its deep condolences to the Governments and peoples of Türkiye and Syria on the heavy loss of lives and properties caused by the powerful earthquakes. We express sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured people. China will provide emergency humanitarian assistance based on the needs of the two countries, and we sincerely hope that the peoples of Türkiye and Syria will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes.

Madam President,

Over the past year since the Ukraine crisis broke out, the humanitarian situation there has always tugged at our heartstrings. Conflicts on the ground show no signs of easing up, the logic of military solution still prevails, and a large number of heavy weapons keep pouring into the battlefields. The international community deplores the humanitarian cost of the conflict. But the parties concerned lack the sincerity to promote peace talks and the determination to resolve the issue politically. China once again calls on relevant parties to bear in mind the interest of the people, strive to promote peace, and try every possible way to push parties to the conflict to resume peace talks and end the war at an early date.

At a time when armed conflicts still persist, priority should be given to humanitarian issues. China has always stressed that parties to the conflict must abide by international humanitarian law, adhere to the humanitarian bottom line of respecting life, refrain from attacking civilians and civilian facilities, and ensure the safe evacuation of personnel and the delivery of humanitarian relief. We appreciate the enormous work by international humanitarian agencies and neighboring countries to ease the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, especially the help given to vulnerable groups such as refugees and displaced persons. We encourage the international community to continue to uphold the humanitarian spirit, scale up the relief to all affected people, and speed up the repair of civilian infrastructure, in order to mitigate the impact of the conflict on people’s lives.

The safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine brook no mishap. Any accident can result in humongous humanitarian and ecological catastrophe. China calls for an immediate stop of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, earnest implementation of the seven pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security proposed by the Director General of the IAEA, and maximum efforts to stop the conflict from escalating to a nuclear crisis. We welcome the fact that the IAEA has sent experts to all nuclear power facilities in Ukraine, and appreciate the Agency’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. We support the Agency’s efforts to remain engaged with Russia and Ukraine on the issue of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plan, so as to reach meaningful arrangements acceptable to both sides as soon as possible.

On issues related to global food, energy, and financial security, all parties concerned should demonstrate their humanitarian responsibilities, and manage and control the spillover effect of the crisis in a responsible manner. In an era of increasing integration and globalization, willful sanctions and artificial blocking of the flow of industrial and supply chains will only exacerbate the rippling effect of the crisis, and inflict heavy cost on the whole world, especially developing countries. The continued implementation of the Black Sea grain initiative is of great significance to expanding food supply and stabilizing global food prices. At the same time, we also hope to see practical results in removing obstacles to Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports. And we support the UN in stepping up its coordination role.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that on the Ukrainian issue, China always stands on the side of peace, dialogue, and humanity. We are ready to work with the rest of the international community to support all efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis peacefully and help all people caught in the conflicts regain peace at an early date.

Thank you, Madam President.

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