Against the current backdrop of rampant unilateral bullying, China and Britain bear the responsibility to uphold the international order established after World War II, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said during a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy that the two sides also share a responsibility to uphold the UN-centered international system and protect the multilateral trading system.
Noting that the momentum of improvement and easing in China-Britain relations has not come easily and requires utmost cherishing, Wang said China is willing to work with Britain to overcome various disruptions and distractions and steer the bilateral relationship steadily forward.
Wang said that the use by the United States of tariffs as a weapon to launch indiscriminate attacks on other countries is a practice that violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and harms the legitimate interests of other countries.
By standing up against the United States' use of tariffs as a weapon, China, as a responsible country, aims not only to defend its own legitimate rights and interests but also to uphold international rules and the multilateral trading system, he said.
Lammy said that the UK appreciates the positive momentum in the current development of bilateral relations with China, and added that it has always been an open country that firmly supports free trade.
As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, both the UK and China bear important responsibilities for the sustainable development of the world economy and international trade, said Lammy, affirming that his country is willing to maintain communication with China in this regard.
Chinese FM calls on China, Britain to uphold international order established after WWII
Chinese FM calls on China, Britain to uphold international order established after WWII
The United Nations on Thursday warned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in war-ravaged Sudan, and called for an end of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Addressing a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York City, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN continued to get "very disturbing" reports from Sudan, especially from North Darfur.
"In the past three weeks alone, the confirmed number of civilians killed in North Darfur was at least 542," the spokesman said, citing a statement from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued on the same day.
In the statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that "the horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds," adding that the attacks launched three days ago by the RSF on the besieged city of El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp killed at least 40 civilians, bringing the total death toll on the past three weeks to at least 542.
"The actual death toll is likely much higher," said the UN official.
Turk expressed his "all the greater" concerns for civilians trapped amid dire conditions in and around El Fasher as the RSF warned of "bloodshed" ahead of battles with the SAF and their associated armed movements, urging all out efforts to protect the civilians.
Reports of extrajudicial executions in the Khartoum state are also extremely disturbing, Turk pointed out, stressing that deliberately taking the life of a civilian or anyone no longer directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime.
The official said that he had personally alerted both leaders of the RSF and the SAF to the catastrophic human rights consequences of the war.
"These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese. It is well past time for this conflict to stop," he said in the statement.
The SAF and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million others, according to the UN and local authorities.
UN calls for end to conflict in war-torn Sudan
