A Chinese envoy on Monday warned against constantly providing weapons to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Russia.

 

The international community should not stop at eliminating sexual violence and human trafficking. Only through cease-fire and the restoration of peace can the trauma of conflict for women and children be fundamentally avoided, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

 

"The international community should work together to promote peace talks, and encourage Russia and Ukraine to come back to the negotiation track," he told a Security Council meeting on sexual violence and human trafficking in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

 

Constantly providing weapons or imposing sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem, but will only perpetuate and expand the conflict, he warned.

 

People in Ukraine and other developing countries should not pay the price for geopolitical and bloc confrontations. At a time when humans have a shared future and when global security is indivisible, no country can or should seek its own absolute security at the expense of the security of others. And international and regional security cannot and should not be guaranteed by strengthening military blocs and cutting off supply and industrial chains, said Dai.

 

"China once again calls on the parties concerned to put international and regional peace and security first and to play a constructive role in the proper resolution of the crisis in Ukraine," he said.

 

The conflict has taken a heavy toll on the Ukrainian people. The security risks faced by women and children are particularly worrisome. Parties to the conflict should comply with international law and take measures to protect civilians from all forms of violence, including sexual violence and human trafficking against women and girls, he said.

 

The use of sexual violence as a tactic of war is a serious crime. Any allegations should be investigated impartially on the basis of facts, he said.

 

Since the outbreak of the conflict, 6.8 million Ukrainian people have crossed borders into neighboring countries for refuge, the vast majority of whom are women and children. China appreciates the humanitarian spirit shown by Ukraine's neighbors in providing safe shelter and basic livelihood for women and children refugees. Meanwhile, the growing number of cases of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse is disturbing, he said.

 

China calls for immediate international cooperation to identify and punish relevant criminal acts. The relevant UN agencies should strengthen monitoring and analysis and provide professional and technical support to combat human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse against Ukrainian refugees, he said.