China calls for unified standards on combating terrorism

UNITED NATIONS -- Unified standards should be upheld in combating international terrorism, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wang Min said here Tuesday.

Wang's remarks came as he addressed the 67th session of the UN General Assembly on the theme of "Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism."

He noted that double standards must be rejected in the effort to combat terrorism. "Adopting inconsistent positions on the basis of one's own interest will serve only to shield or connive with terrorism, defeating the purpose of counter-terrorism and undermining international cooperation in that regard."

Wang said that the symptoms and the root causes of terrorism should be addressed simultaneously.

"Measures to combat terrorism should focus on promoting development, eliminating polarization and social injustice, and appropriately resolving regional conflicts," he said. "Relying solely on military and law enforcement measures may very well prove to be counter-productive."

In addition, the UN should play a leading role in strengthening international cooperation on counter-terrorism, Wang said.

"China supports the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy which serves as the guidelines for the international cooperation on counter-terrorism," he said.

The Chinese UN envoy pointed out that the international community should further advocate dialogue and exchange among various civilizations, religions and ethnicities with the aim to promote mutual respect, understanding and tolerance.

Furthermore, counter-terrorism activities must comply with the UN Charter and the international law, respect the sovereignty of individual states, their independence and territorial integrity, Wang said.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to terrorism prevention," he said. "We strive to create a harmonious society and achieve social justice, equality, stability and unity through an integrated approach including the promotion of economic development and the improvement of education."

"China will continue to take an active part in international counter-terrorism cooperation, and work with the international community to fight against terrorism in all forms including the ' Eastern Turkestan'," Wang said.