20 May 2025
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:
I commend Greece for its initiative in holding this meeting, and I welcome your special trip to New York to host today’s open debate. I thank Secretary-General Guterres and the other briefers for their briefings.
The ocean nurtures life, connects the world, and promotes development. It is the common home of all mankind. Protecting our common home, maintaining maritime security, and strengthening global ocean governance are of great significance to promoting world peace, stability, development and prosperity, and are also the common responsibility of all countries.
——We must uphold the concept of building a community with a shared future for the ocean. Human beings live together on this blue planet. We are not divided into isolated islands by the ocean, but connected by the ocean into a community with a shared future. The peace and tranquility of the ocean is related to the safety and interests of all countries in the world. We must uphold the spirit of extensive consultation, joint construction and sharing, jointly protect ocean security, promote ocean development and discuss ocean governance, so that the ocean can truly become a link to promote exchanges and win-win cooperation, rather than a gap that is disconnected and isolated from each other.
– We must maintain a fair and reasonable maritime order. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has established a basic legal framework for the modern maritime order and has played an important role in promoting global ocean governance. Together with other maritime treaties and customary international law, the Convention provides legal norms for determining maritime areas and conducting maritime activities. All countries should jointly maintain the international maritime order based on international law, interpret and apply the Convention in a complete, accurate and good faith manner, adhere to the unified application of maritime law, and put an end to selective application and double standards.
– We must jointly safeguard maritime security and stability. At present, criminal activities such as pirate attacks, maritime drug and arms smuggling, and maritime human trafficking are rampant, undermining maritime security and exacerbating regional unrest. The international community must jointly prevent and combat them in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. We must attach importance to the reasonable maritime security concerns of all countries, insist on resolving disputes through dialogue and resolving conflicts through consultation, continuously improve the crisis communication mechanism, and strengthen maritime security cooperation. Specific disputes involving territorial and maritime rights and interests should be peacefully resolved by the parties directly concerned through friendly consultation. Provoking confrontation between maritime camps and zero-sum games is not in the interests of any party.
– We must work together to strengthen global ocean governance. The sustainable development of mankind is closely related to a healthy marine environment. We must care for the ocean as we care for our lives. At present, issues such as marine environmental protection, climate change, sea level rise, and emerging marine activities are of common interest to the international community. We should adhere to the guidance of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, continuously expand practical cooperation at sea, explore the potential of the ocean, jointly promote the development and utilization of the ocean to serve economic and social development, and achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and the marine ecological environment.
China is a major maritime country and is committed to the common protection of our marine home and the common maintenance of maritime security. We will always be a builder of global ocean governance, a promoter of global marine sustainable development, and a defender of global marine security and stability. We are willing to work with the international community to promote the construction of a peaceful, tranquil, cooperative and win-win marine order and to build a community with a shared future for the ocean.
President,
The Security Council is not the right place to discuss the South China Sea issue. The US representative mentioned the South China Sea issue in his speech just now. China firmly opposes this and would like to respond here:
First, under the banner of freedom of navigation, the United States frequently sends military ships and aircraft to the South China Sea to show off its military power, and openly sows discord among regional countries. The United States is the biggest threat to the security and stability of the South China Sea.
Second, China is committed to properly handling maritime disputes with relevant countries through dialogue and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law. The so-called ruling in the South China Sea arbitration case is illegal and invalid, and China neither accepts nor recognizes it.
Third, with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the current situation in the South China Sea remains generally stable. We are determined and capable of building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.
Fourth, we hope that the US can abide by their commitment to one China.
Finally, I would like to remind my American colleague that I don’t know if she noticed how out of tune her speech was with the speeches of other countries. The Secretary-General’s speech and everyone’s speech were all about how to maintain maritime security and carry out international cooperation. The US speech took the opportunity to wantonly attack and smear other countries and wantonly suppress them. We hope that the US can play a constructive role in maintaining maritime security together with other countries.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.