United Nations, May 21: Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, delivered a speech at the Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict on the 21st, emphasizing that the elimination of armed conflict is the greatest protection for civilians.

Fu Cong said that saving lives in armed conflicts is certainly a noble goal, but it must be noted that as long as the conflict does not subside, civilian lives will be threatened at any time. At the same time, we must not forget that the primary responsibility of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. The Gaza conflict, which has lasted for more than seven months, has caused unprecedented civilian casualties and humanitarian disasters, and the lives of the millions of people currently gathering for refuge in Rafah are at risk. The Security Council should make promoting an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire a top priority. To this end, further action should be taken to urge Israel to immediately stop collective punishment of the Palestinian people and stop advancing its military offensive against Rafah, so as to give the people hope for survival.

Fu Cong said that international humanitarian law is the bottom line that must be jointly observed. The Security Council should continue to safeguard the authority of international humanitarian law and ensure its universal and uniform application. Double standards and selective application of humanitarian law are unacceptable and are tantamount to condoning more illegal activities in disguise.

Fu Cong said that attention should be paid to responding to the outstanding challenges brought by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the development of autonomous weapon systems. China calls for strengthening global governance of the arms trade, combating the illegal transfer of small arms and light weapons, and calls on all countries not to provide weapons to non-state entities. The risks of artificial intelligence and autonomous weapon systems as means of warfare are rising and deserve great attention. Countries should adhere to the principles of putting people first and intelligence for good to ensure that artificial intelligence is always under human control. China supports the formulation of a legally binding international instrument around lethal autonomous weapon systems.

Fu Cong said that improving the governance capabilities of countries involved in conflicts is the fundamental solution. When dealing with conflict situations, the international community should take systematic measures to support countries parties to conflicts in effectively enhancing their national defense, public security and counter-terrorism capabilities. At the same time, it is necessary to help the countries concerned accelerate development and gradually resolve the deep-seated causes of conflicts. China is willing to continue to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to eliminate the scourge of war as soon as possible and ensure the happiness and tranquility of the people.