On February 1, 2025, China assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council. On February 3, Ambassador Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, briefed the press on the programme of work of the Security Council for the month of February and answered questions from journalists.

Ambassador Fu said that China sees the rotating Presidency as an important responsibility, and will discharge its duties in a constructive and professional manner to promote solidarity among Council members, and ensure that the Council fulfills its mandate.

Ambassador Fu announced that China will hold a signature event on multilateralism and global governance. As the world enters a very turbulent period and the number of conflicts worldwide hits a new high since the Cold War, there is an increasing call in the international community, among the Global South in particular, for reforming and improving the global governance system. At the Security Council, solidarity and cooperation are replaced by division and confrontation. Very often, the Council has been unable to do anything in the face of major security crises. This situation cannot continue. 

Under China’s initiative, there will be a Security Council high-level open debate on February 18, under the theme of “Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance”. As we mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations this year, the open debate aims to encourage countries to revisit the original aspirations of the UN, reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and the important role of the United Nations, including the Security Council, and to explore ways to reform and improve the global governance. 

Ambassador Fu said that the Security Council will maintain its focus on the situation in the Middle East and strive to find lasting political solutions. It is necessary for the Security Council to pay close attention to the ceasefire in Gaza and take timely actions to ensure that the relevant agreement is fully and effectively implemented and that humanitarian access remains open and unhindered. China will urge the Council to closely follow the challenges confronting UNRWA, and to pay high attention to the situation in the West Bank and make timely responses if needed. 

The situation in Syria is still critical and fragile. At present, the Council’s focus is on supporting Syria in maintaining unity and restoring stability, and starting a credible and inclusive political transition in line with the principles of Council Resolution 2254. The UN must play its due role in this process. At the same time, we must do everything we can to prevent the resurgence of terrorism and extremism in and from Syria. 

Ambassador Fu said that at present, the political and security situation in some parts of Africa is extremely volatile. There are huge challenges in terms of peacekeeping and peace-building, as well as humanitarian assistance. The Security Council and the wider international community must maintain and increase their attention and support for Africa. As the President, China will work with other Council members, the A3 in particular, to promote dialogue and consultation and seek political solutions to African issues. 

Ambassador Fu also stressed that China will take an open, transparent, pragmatic, and efficient approach in its work. As the rotating President, China will engage extensively and closely with all parties on all issues on the agenda, and try its best to build the broadest possible consensus. We also encourage Council members to consult with each other to enhance trust and bridge differences. We will continue our efforts to improve the efficiency of the Council. We will also invite civil society representatives to participate in relevant meetings as appropriate, in order to provide fresh perspectives to the Council. We will also keep in close contact with the wider membership and the media to ensure transparency of our work. 

When answering questions on China-US relations, Ambassador Fu stressed that facing the myriad challenges around the world, no country can stay aloof or unaffected. As the largest developing and developed countries, China and the United States have so much in common that they can cooperate on, such as counter-terrorism, non-proliferation of WMDs, counter-narcotics, climate change, and transnational organized crime. China looks forward to both sides taking a constructive and professional approach to their work at the United Nations. 

On the US tariff on China, Ambassador Fu said that the United States’ imposition of a 10 percent additional tariff on Chinese imports violates the rules of the World Trade Organization. China firmly opposes this and will file a lawsuit with the WTO and may be forced to take countermeasures to defend its own interests. There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars. We do hope that the US can look at its own problems and really find a solution that is beneficial to itself and also to the whole world. Regarding the fentanyl issue, China has one of the most stringent regulations on fentanyl. China has given support to the US response to this issue by officially scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a class, the first country in the world to do so. The US should look at and solve this issue more from its own perspective, such as from the demand side, instead of shifting the blame to others. 

On the US containment of China’s artificial intelligence industry, Ambassador Fu said that the US should not underestimate the ingenuity of Chinese scientists and engineers. Facts have proved that technological containment and restriction will not work and cannot stop China’s progress. AI has profound ramifications for all aspects of human life. The right approach is to open up and to have both policy and technical cooperation on the development, utilization, and regulation of AI, so that AI can better benefit all countries. He also warned that the fragmentation of AI governance will only enhance the risks and reduce the benefits. 

On the Panama Canal, Ambassador Fu said that China has never participated in the management and operation of the Canal and has never interfered in its affairs. China respects Panama’s sovereignty over the Canal and recognizes it as a permanently neutral international waterway. The Belt and Road Initiative is an economic cooperation initiative aimed at building a platform for cooperation and promoting the common development of all countries, especially the Global South. The Initiative should not be politicized. The smearing campaign by the US against the Belt and Road cooperation is totally groundless.

On the issue of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ambassador Fu said that the rapidly deteriorating situation in Eastern DRC is a cause for concern. There is a basic consensus in the Security Council on this issue, that is to urge the M23 to immediately cease its attacks and withdraw from occupied areas such as Goma, and to call on the DRC and Rwanda to return to the diplomatic track. There is a view shared by the majority of the international community that there is no military solution to this conflict and that political negotiations are the only way out. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC need to be respected. The Luanda and Nairobi processes should continue to play their roles and coordinate with each other. Both the DRC and Rwanda should respond positively to the mediation efforts by the international community and regional organizations and insist on resolving any differences that may exist through dialogue.

On the Ukraine crisis, Ambassador Fu said that February 24 would mark the third anniversary of the full escalation of the crisis. China, as President of the Security Council, will make appropriate arrangements in accordance with the rules of procedure and past practices of the Council. China, together with other Global South countries, has launched a Group of Friends for Peace, with the sole purpose of building a platform for the Global South to have their voices heard and to promote an early end to the conflict and the restoration of peace. There are expressions of willingness from both sides to have peace negotiations. We do hope this can be materialized soon. We are ready to explore if there is a useful role for this Group to play in order to facilitate the peace dialogue.