China: The illegal Western sanctions on Syria must be lifted

China has reaffirmed the need to lift the unilaterally imposed Western coercive measures against Syria and to allow humanitarian assistance to reach all parts of the country.

Jing Shuang, China’s deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was quoted by Xinhua as saying yesterday during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council: “The illegal presence of foreign forces on Syrian territory must be ended, and any actions that violate or undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be brought to an end.”

Jing stressed that unilateral sanctions against Syria should be lifted immediately without preconditions. International efforts should be intensified to secure adequate, balanced, and sustainable humanitarian financing for all parts of the country, assisting it in reconstruction.

Jing expressed China’s welcome to Syria’s sovereign decision earlier this month to grant six months of authorization to the United Nations and relevant agencies to use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need in the north-western region of that country, stressing that it is a responsible and constructive decision.

The Deputy Chinese Delegate stressed that China has considered that the “cross-border aid delivery mechanism” was a temporary measure established under certain circumstances and that it was necessary and urgent to accelerate the transition to the delivery of assistance within the country.

Amal Farhat