China urges Western countries, organizations to lift illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe: spokesman

China urges the very few Western countries, including the United States, and organizations to lift their decades-long illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Friday.

Lin made the comments in response to a media query on the remarks by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday in which the president called on the United States and its Western allies to remove their "unwarranted" and "cruel sanctions" on the country.

"The 39th SADC Summit in 2019 named October 25 the Anti-Sanctions Day and called on the U.S. and some other Western countries and organizations to remove illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. China supports Zimbabwe who holds the SADC’s rotating presidency and suffers from illegal sanctions in hosting the commemorative events of the fifth anniversary of the Day. The U.S. and some other Western countries have illegally sanctioned Zimbabwe for over 20 years. This typical act of hegemonism severely undermines Zimbabwe’s national sovereignty, infringes on Zimbabwean people’s right of development, disrupts the effort of Southern Africa to deepen cooperation and pursue common development, and harms international fairness and justice," said Lin.

"China, as always, firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference and keeping to its own development path. We once again urge the few countries and organizations to lift the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe as soon as possible, and take responsible and concrete steps to help the country develop its economy and improve people’s wellbeing. China stands ready to work with African countries and the international community to help Zimbabwe uphold its independence and sovereignty, remain stable and achieve development," said Lin.

The United States has maintained sanctions on Zimbabwe through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.

In March, the United States imposed sanctions on 11 individuals of the African country, including Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, over alleged human rights abuses and corruption under America's Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

China urges Western countries, organizations to lift illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe: spokesman

The first Regional Workshop on Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention and Promoting Biosafety and Biosecurity in Southeast Asia was held from Wednesday to Friday in Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province, aiming to strengthen regional coordination and collaboration in biosecurity. The workshop was co-hosted by China and the Lao PDR, with support from the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, and attended by government officials and experts from China and 11 Southeast Asian countries.

As the first national-level meeting of its kind, the workshop provided a platform for exchanging experiences and building consensus on enhancing regional and global biosecurity governance.

"This is a good platform to exchange good lessons and best practices from countries in the region and China. We have been active members of the international community and the party to the convention itself. I think this could further enhance this exchange in the coming years," said Daovy Vongxay, the Lao PDR's permanent representative-designate to the United Nations in Geneva.

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), referenced by Vongxay, is the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, which came into effect in 1975.

In a summary statement from the workshop, the co-chairs emphasized the importance of strengthening the international biosecurity framework, particularly through initiatives that support the BWC.

According to Sun Xiaobo, director general of the Department of Arms Control of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China and ASEAN countries share significant consensus and have ample room for collaboration on biosecurity issues.

"Through this workshop, we hope to foster increased dialogue and pragmatic cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the field of biosafety, contributing together to the construction of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. This collaboration aims to bolster global governance on biosafety and contribute to world peace and security," Sun concluded.

China hosts first regional workshop on promoting biosafety, biosecurity in Southeast Asia