UNITED NATIONS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for international efforts to improve natural resource governance.
Natural resources are precious gifts bestowed on humanity and constitute the material foundation for human survival and sustained economic and social development, said Sun Lei, the charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
"The international community should strengthen cooperation to improve natural resource governance, safeguard the stability of global resource supply and industrial chains, and contribute to international peace and development," he told a Security Council open debate on natural resource governance.
Peace and stability are the solid guarantee for natural resource governance, he said.
The international community should uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, remain committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, jointly combat the illegal exploitation and smuggling of natural resources, enhance supply chain transparency and traceability, and prevent the abuse of natural resources by parties to armed conflict, he added.
At the same time, Sun said that the causes of armed conflict are complex and diverse, involving political, social and economic factors. Natural resources should not simply be regarded as the root cause of conflicts; still less should normal economic, trade and industrial cooperation be securitized, politicized or instrumentalized, he said.
International law grants states permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, and this principle must not be challenged, he said. Certain countries should stop seizing other countries' resources through sanctions, pressure and military coercion, and must not revert to colonial domination and plunder, he said.
China is in favor of an open, inclusive, fair, equitable, cooperative, win-win, green and clean governance system for critical minerals, Sun said, warning that using the pretext of "de-risking" or "national security" to pursue bloc confrontation and build exclusive "small circles" will only disrupt market order and undermine the common interests of all countries.
To break the vicious cycle between natural resources and conflict, it is essential to support the countries concerned in achieving independent and sustainable development, said Sun.
The international community, especially developed countries, has the responsibility to fulfill their assistance commitments and support resource-rich countries, especially developing ones, in continuously improving their resource governance systems and increasing the added value and returns of resource products. This will help reduce poverty, create jobs, truly benefit local people, and build a stronger foundation for peace, he said.
As a major producer, consumer and trader of natural resources, China has consistently advocated and promoted natural resource governance and cooperation, he said, noting that China stands ready to work with the international community to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation on natural resources, help relevant countries transform their resource endowments into drivers of development, and embark on a path toward lasting peace, stability, development and prosperity. ■
