Envoy: Political antagonism disrupts work of UN

Hate speech between countries poisons the international political climate and seriously disrupts the work of the United Nations in various areas, a Chinese envoy to the UN warned Tuesday.

"For some while, with the conflict in Ukraine unraveling, antagonism has been permeating the international community, seriously disrupting the work of the UN in various fields and calling into question the authority and effectiveness of this council," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council briefing on Ukraine.

Such a political climate is not conducive to the proper settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. It may lead to the failure of global governance mechanisms and plunge the world into greater division and turmoil, which is not in the interest of any party, Dai said.

He emphasized the indivisibility of security for all nations, pointing out that "the Cold War mentality, the logic of hegemony, and bloc politics have long outlived their relevance".

Instead, the international community should "substitute dialogue for confrontation, consultation for coercion, partnership for alliances, and win-win for zero sum," he said.

"The Security Council, in particular, should shoulder its responsibilities, manage differences, and be an active force for the facilitation of peace talks, mediation and good offices," Dai said.

He warned against the danger of sending in more lethal weapons, saying that doing so "will only fuel animosity, exacerbate conflicts, trigger a wider humanitarian crisis and claim more innocent lives".

Noting that prolonged conflict will bring greater security risks from which no party can benefit, Dai called on the international community to work together to de-escalate the situation and create conditions for resumed negotiations and "achieve a ceasefire without further delay".

"We advise certain countries not to continue adding fuel to the fire to serve their own geopolitical self-interest, not to mention force other countries to take sides, thereby intensifying division and antagonism within the international community," Dai added.

Dai said all parties to the Ukraine conflict should earnestly uphold international humanitarian law and ensure the maximum protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, in additional to facilitating evacuation and humanitarian access.

He urged the international community to increase humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people and reduce the harm caused by violent conflicts. Any allegations of violations of the international humanitarian laws should be based on facts, and all parties should avoid unwarranted accusations pending the final findings, Dai said.

Dai pointed out that certain media platforms have "adapted their policies for political ends, allowing one-way hate speech".

"Such a practice is extremely dangerous. It is imperative to strengthen government oversight of social media platforms. They should not be given a free rein," he said.