US shatters Gazan people's hope for survival: Chinese envoy

A Chinese envoy on Wednesday slammed the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council draft resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying the move has shattered the Gazan people's hope for survival and pushed them further into darkness and desperation.

The draft, put forward by the Council's 10 non-permanent members, demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

The 15-member Council voted 14-1 in favor of the resolution, but the United States used its veto as a permanent member of the Council to block it.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said China is very disappointed with the result of Wednesday's vote.

Guyana, Algeria, and other E10 members (elected non-permanent members of the Security Council) demonstrated maximum sincerity and constructiveness during the consultation on the draft resolution, he said.

"In the future, when looking back, people will find it hard to understand this part of history. The Security Council is mandated under the UN charter to shoulder the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It is incomprehensible that for the past year or so, the United States has been so insistent in rendering the Council incapable of playing its role, leading to its paralysis. The U.S. has claimed to be conducting parallel diplomatic efforts and has repeatedly promised that progress would be made soon in the negotiations. It is incomprehensible that to date, the so-called diplomatic negotiations have been going in circles. Why is Israel allowed to continue its military operations while constantly putting forth new conditions for negotiations?" Fu said.

Fu said Israel has flagrantly breached every red line of international humanitarian law, with its actions causing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

But even as a famine is about to break out in Gaza, the United States always seems to be able to find justification to defend Israel, which represents a distortion and selective disregard of the application of international humanitarian law, the ambassador said.

People never knew before how low one could stoop in terms of double standard. No wonder people feel angry. Their indignation also stems from the fact that the continued supply of weapons from the U.S. has become a decisive factor for the war lasting so long, causing so many casualties and so much destruction, he said.

"Facts have shown that Israel's military operations in Gaza have long exceeded the scope of rescuing hostages. Insistence on setting preconditions for a ceasefire is tantamount to giving the green light to prolong the war and condone the continued killing. The repeated use of veto by the United States has reduced the authority of the Security Council and international law to an all-time low," Fu said.

China called on the U.S. to take its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Council seriously, stop being passive and evasive, and stop the deliberate procrastination. Instead, it should act with a sense of responsibility to history, and support the Council in taking all necessary actions to achieve an immediate ceasefire, save lives, and restore peace, the envoy said.

The United States has repeatedly obstructed the Security Council from passing draft resolutions on a ceasefire in Gaza since a new round of Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, which has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians over the past 13 months.

US shatters Gazan people's hope for survival: Chinese envoy

House buying intention has seen an increase after Beijing and Shanghai announced further tax incentives on Monday.

The two cities announced to eliminate the distinction between ordinary and non-ordinary housing, which will result in tax reduction for property transactions.

Houses over 140 square meters are usually classified as non-ordinary housing and face higher transaction tax rates.

In accordance with the new policy, which will take effect on December 1, the two cities will exempt individuals from a 5-percent value-added taxes (VAT) on the sale of non-ordinary properties that have been owned for two years or more.

"We have seen noticeable rise in online consultancies and in customer visits. Many customers who have been hesitating now decide to tour around the houses for sale and embark on home purchasing. We can feel that their willingness to buy a house is going up," said Han Yu, a real estate agent in Beijing.

The two cities will also adopt a unified nationwide policy on personal housing deed tax.

For homes measuring 140 square meters or less, the deed tax is reduced to the minimum rate of 1 percent, while a reduced rate of 1.5 percent applies for properties larger than 140 square meters.

For those purchasing a second home for their family, a reduced deed tax rate of 1 percent will be levied for properties of 140 square meters or smaller, while a reduced rate of two percent will apply for properties larger than 140 square meters.

"The policies are really implementable. Like, for homes measuring 140 square meters or less, the deed tax is reduced to 1 percent. For families that have two children, the policy is really helpful. Since the two-child policy took effect, many families have more babies. As children grow, many families want to move from their original two-bedroom apartment to a three-room one. My house is no longer big enough to live, so, I have been touring around the houses for sale," said Zhao Jing, a Beijing resident.

In response to the sluggish property market, China has introduced a series of measures in recent months, including reductions in mortgage rates, lower down-payment requirements, and the easing of purchase restrictions.

New policies of Beijing, Shanghai help boost housing purchase intention