Wang Yi stresses support for UN core objectives

Wang Yi, state councilor and foreign minister of China, on Wednesday reaffirmed the country's commitment to the United Nations and its key role in the international order.

"China adheres to its solemn commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, resolutely safeguards the contemporary international system with the UN as its core and earnestly fulfills its international responsibilities and obligations," Wang said during the UN Security Council meeting at UN Headquarters in New York.

The summit-level meeting of the 15-member Council was initiated by the US to discuss ways that the body overseeing global peace and security can better enforce resolutions concerning the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Wang said that given the complex challenges to international peace and security, China believes the Security Council should perform its function in a fair and just manner as mandated by the charter; should adhere to political settlement; and should enhance unity to promote consensus and coordination.

Wang said China advocates the rule of law and consolidating and improving the international non-proliferation regime.

"We need to take multiple measures to implement the non-proliferation treaty in a balanced manner," said Wang. "We need to boost international cooperation and enhance all countries' non-proliferation capability to achieve universal security."

Talking about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear issue, Wang said the agreement has been endorsed anonymously by the council and is "a hard-won achievement of multilateralism".

China encourages Iran to continue to fulfill the commitments it has made, "while the legitimate rights of all countries to normal economic and trade cooperation with Iran should also be respected", Wang said.

Wang said China calls on the relevant parties to proceed with the view of long-term and overall interests to maintain the seriousness, integrity and effectiveness of the JCPOA.

Wang also said that since the beginning of the year, major progress has been made on the Korean Peninsula situation, "and China has made unremitting efforts for this to happen".

China calls upon all parties "to seize the current opportunities, turn the political consensus into concrete actions and work in the direction of setting up a peace mechanism on the peninsula and the denuclearization of the peninsula to realize lasting peace on the peninsula at an early date", he said.

Wang categorically denied any attempt by China to interfere in other countries' domestic affairs, asserting that the principle of non-interference in internal affairs is a Chinese foreign policy tradition and has been widely praised by the international community.

Contact the writer at @xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com