Cihnese Foreign Ministry

During a recent meeting, China and member states of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations conveyed a resolute stance in favor of multilateralism, safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and opposed the unilateral coercive tactics, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The remarks were made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday during a regular press conference, in response to a question about the meeting.

The Third Meeting of National Coordinators of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations was held in Moscow, Russia, from April 14 to 15. Senior representatives from member states, including China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Belarus, Iran, and Zimbabwe, attended the meeting, according to the ministry.

Lin said that the meeting issued a political declaration expressing serious concerns over the undermining of the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, emphasizing that the abusive imposition of tariffs would severely and negatively impact the sovereignty, development rights of nations - particularly those in the Global South - and the international system.

The declaration also opposed the weaponization of trade tools such as tariffs and called for an immediate halt to unilateral measures and bullying acts aimed at subjugating and controlling other countries, said Lin. 

All parties at the meeting stressed that unilateral sanctions and tariff barriers fundamentally contravene the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Countries of the Global South should unite, strengthen multilateral cooperation, jointly resist unjust external pressures, promote the establishment of a fairer and more equitable new international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights of all nations to peaceful development, according to Lin. 

Lin further noted that the meeting sent a clear signal in support of multilateralism, upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and opposing unilateral coercive measures and economic bullying. It reflected the strong desire of the group's members to reject hegemony and power politics while defending their own interests and international fairness and justice. 

Lin said that the meeting also demonstrated the firm resolve of countries, especially those in the Global South, to unite against external pressures, adding that the US should heed the just calls of the international community and refrain from further down the wrong path of unilateral bullying.

Global Times