UN 75: China publishes position paper on post-COVID-19 world order, 5G and data security

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a "position paper" on China's views on the post-COVID-19 world order, data security and 5G, ahead of the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this month.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the UN founding, but it's the first time that the UNGA session, beginning on September 15, will be held virtually.

When the UN was created in 1945, countries were committed to an international order and system in the pursuit of peace and development, the paper said.

And the UN has since been well-functioning in areas ranging from settling disputes and mitigating regional conflicts to eradicating poverty and starvation and promoting equality and democracy, the paper said.

China said the post-WWII world order has been challenged by the rise of protectionism, unilateralism and power politics, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation and coordination are more important than ever.

It's more important to "forge international consensus on building a community with a shared future for mankind and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity," it said.

The 75th session of the UNGA carries great significance in this context, China said in the paper, calling all parties to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and support UN development agendas. 

Chinese medical materials are prepared to be loaded onto a plane to Belgium at the Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou, China's Zhejiang Province, March 13, 2020. /Xinhua

Data security, 5G

The paper also stated China's positions on data and 5G security.

China said digital technology promotes social development and global well-being and should not be weaponized against other countries.

Citing "national security" reasons, certain countries are utilizing it to restrict normal information and communications technology (ICT) development and cooperation.

China, therefore, said "the pressing task is to develop an international code of conduct for cyberspace that is acceptable to all."

The paper listed an eight-principle initiative on safeguarding global data security. It was first stated by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at an international meeting on September 8.

Regarding 5G security, China said it's a "technical" issue, calling on all countries to make a fair judgment of 5G technology.

By claiming China's Huawei is backed by the Chinese government, the Trump administration has launched a series of curbs on China's Huawei.

Last month, Washington moved to cut off Huawei's access to its global suppliers.

Governments should treat all 5G companies in a non-discriminatory manner and with the principles of free trade and market competition, the paper said. 

China delivers on its commitment

The paper said China's delivered on its commitment to the UN, five years after President Xi Jinping announced the proposals at the UN headquarters in New York.

China's actively participated in the UN's peacekeeping mission and now has the biggest standby force and the greatest variety of contingents among all UN members. It has registered 8,000 standby soldiers and a 300-member permanent police squad for UN peacekeeping missions.

China deploys a total of 2,508 uniformed personnel to eight of the UN peacekeeping missions, including those in South Sudan, Lebanon and Mali, according to the UN.

The China-UN Peace and Development Fund has provided a total of 67.7 million U.S. dollars for over 80 projects in areas ranging from peacekeeping to counterterrorism as well as health and education.

China has assisted other developing countries with 180 poverty reduction projects, 118 agricultural cooperation projects, 178 aid-for-trade projects, 103 projects on ecological conservation and climate change, 134 hospitals and clinics, and 123 educational and vocational training institutes, according to the paper.