‘Safeguard the postwar order,’ China tells UN General Assembly

China's Vice President Han Zheng, addresses the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

China's Vice President, Han Zheng, urged the world to defend the postwar international order on Saturday, telling the UN General Assembly that geopolitical conflicts, widening development gaps and mounting global challenges make multilateralism more urgent than ever.

“The world wants peace not war,” Mr. Han told the General Debate of the Assembly's 81st session.

He said the international system centered on the UN and the international order, underpinned by international law that emerged after World War Two “must be upheld,” calling for disputes to be settled through dialogue rather than “unilateral military actions that violate the UN Charter and circumvent Security Council authorization.”

“Major countries shoulder special responsibilities for safeguarding international peace and security, and they should take the lead in complying with the rules, upholding the rule of law and doing what's right,” he said.

On the Middle East, Mr. Han said the sovereignty of regional States, including in the Gulf, should be respected, and called for reconstruction in Gaza to proceed “in accordance with the principle of the Palestinians governing Palestine,” alongside a return to the two-state solution.

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