UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations on Tuesday called for efforts to consolidate the broadest united front to fight terrorism.

"We must deepen consensus and consolidate the broadest united front to fight terrorism," Zhang Jun told the Security Council open debate on the Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts.

Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity, and fighting terrorism is the shared responsibility of the international community, he said, adding unity is the most powerful weapon in defeating terrorism

"We must, under the leadership of the United Nations, work to build consensus and send a unified message to terrorists through our coordinated actions," said the ambassador.

Talking about how to fight terrorism, Zhang said that "we must abide by a unified standard and reject selectivity in counterterrorism."

"There are no good or bad terrorists. Any terrorist act, wherever, whenever, by whomever committed for whatever motivation, must be condemned and cracked down by us all," he said. "There must not be double standard. Nor should there be selectivity in counterterrorism."

"Our efforts must be better focused to respond effectively to new terrorist trends. In response to new and evolving terrorist challenges, we need new and flexible tools that produce results. We must give special attention to the economic and social fallout of COVID-19, guard against and prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the pandemic-induced opportunities and disruptions to incite and preach terrorism," said the ambassador.

Zhang added that terrorism prevention efforts must be made to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.

"It is necessary to take a holistic approach with a combination of political, economic, legal, and social measures to root out the breeding ground for terrorism and extremism," he noted.

The ambassador recalled that the 911 terrorist attacks that occurred 20 years ago in New York shocked the world and turned a new page in international counterterrorism cooperation.

"In the aftermath of the attacks, the Security Council took swift action to adopt Resolution 1373, and mandated the establishment of the Counterterrorism Committee, putting on full display the joint will and determination of the international community to fight terrorism," he said.

He warned that one must not lose sight of the fact that the international counterterrorism landscape remains grim and complex.

"Facts demonstrate that terrorism remains a real threat facing the international community in its entirety. The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated economic and social challenges, which may worsen the vicious cycle of uncertainties, instabilities and violence and lead to resurgence of international terrorism," he said.

In view of this, the international community must maintain high vigilance, foster a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind, and take a holistic approach to jointly fight terrorism in all its forms, said Zhang.