President,

China thanks Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis for presiding over the meeting. I have listened carefully to the presentations of the experts and scholars, all of which are very inspiring. 

The rapid development of a new technological revolution is a prominent feature of the current era. While technological development empowers all sectors and provides great convenience and opportunities to humanity, it also brings new challenges to international peace and security. The Internet has become an important channel for criminal gangs and terrorist organizations to recruit, finance, mastermind, and commit crimes. The misuse of deepfake technology fuels the spread of disinformation, triggering social tensions and tearing communities apart. Frequent cyber attacks and cyber espionage incidents have undermined the security and public interests of many countries. The military application of AI is disrupting traditional forms of warfare and causing widespread worries. The recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon showed us the unimaginable disruption in civilian casualties caused by AI-driven algorithms and remote manipulation. The misuse of technology in violation of international humanitarian law must be condemned and resisted. 

China attaches great importance to the governance of science and technology. We spearheaded the efforts to have the Council’s first discussion on emerging technologies in 2021, welcome its continued attention to the matter, and support the gradual inclusion of science and technology in the Council’s work to fulfill its obligations. Science and technology is a double-edged sword. We need to balance development and security, encourage innovation, and manage risks, so that the development of science and technology can truly benefit all countries and peoples. I would like to emphasize three points. 

First, the principle of technology for good is a basic requirement in regulating technology development. It must be ensured that technology research, development, and application comply with ethical norms, recognize the rules of international laws, and follow the direction of the progress of civilization. We support the UN in playing its role as a main platform for global governance of technology to encourage countries to develop universally accepted rules and norms on the basis of broad participation and thorough deliberation.

Second, bridging the digital divide is not only a requirement for common development, but also a necessity to address security risks. Developing countries, long excluded from scientific and technological progress, can easily become weak links in global security. We must support and help developing countries catch up to benefit equally from the opportunities brought about by scientific and technological progress. China led efforts to adopt the GA resolution on international cooperation on AI capacity building at its 78th session, and announced the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All in September this year. We will actively implement the five visions and ten actions set out in the plan and support the Global South in strengthening AI infrastructure, industrial empowerment, talent cultivation, data development, and security governance to share AI dividends. 

Third, ensuring safety and control is the bottom-line requirement for technology development. AI must be kept under human control at all times, and machines' autonomous killing must be prevented. We must say no to the use of one’s technological edge to violate other countries’ sovereignty, interfere in others’ internal affairs, or undermine their stability. We must guard against cyber attacks, cyber espionage, and cyber arms race, and in particular, we must safeguard the security of critical information infrastructure. China will continue to champion the GA resolution on international cooperation on the peaceful uses, and support the peaceful uses of science and technology by developing countries without discrimination while advancing non-proliferation goals. 

President, 

Science knows no borders. Every major breakthrough in humanity’s scientific discovery and technological innovation in modern times has been made through international exchange and cooperation. Tackling the risks and challenges brought about by them also requires international cooperation. 

Regrettably, there has been the rise of some practices that go against the laws of scientific development and historical trends. We have seen individual countries overstretching the concept of national security and use it as an excuse to unscrupulously strangle other countries’ high-tech businesses. They tout so-called decoupling and put up barriers to normal economic and trade activities and scientific and technology exchange between countries. They also carefully organize various small groupings to exclude specific countries and build so-called “small yard and high fence”. All of these are far-fetched in their relations to national security. These practices are designed to consolidate their own technology monopoly and contain the development of other countries. It is essentially Cold War mentality and zero-sum game logic at play. Such negative moves have caused many disruptions. The “small yard and high fence” has become a “large yard with Iron Curtain”, seriously destabilizing industrial and supply chains, increasing development gaps, and hindering technological progress.

We are particularly worried that these man-made divisions, compared to the risks posed by technology itself, will be more detrimental to international peace and security, and may ultimately plunge the world into the abyss of confrontation. Secretary-General Guterres has explicitly warned against a world artificially divided into two markets, two rules, and two major systems, with every country forced to pick a side and enormous consequences for all. 

President,

As stressed in the Pact for the Future, international cooperation is not an option but a necessity. Only through the broadest cooperation, can the potential of science and technology innovation be harnessed to serve the three pillars of UN’s work as envisioned. We call on all countries to uphold the principles of openness and inclusiveness, take the implementation of the Pact for the Future as an opportunity to support the UN in playing the role as the main platform for the global governance of science and technology, and promote the use of science and technology for common development, common security, and common progress. 

Thank you, President.