Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Tuesday strongly condemned a devastating strike by Israel on a school in Gaza City on Aug 10 that killed at least 100 Palestinians and injuring dozens more.

At an emergency meeting held by the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Gaza at the request of Algeria, Fu reiterated that the civilians and civilian infrastructure must not become targets of military operations, as stipulated by international humanitarian law. The repeated attacks on schools, where large numbers of civilians are gathered, are abhorrent, Fu said, adding that achieving a lasting ceasefire is an urgent demand of the people in Gaza and a prevailing consensus within the international community.

"Two months ago, when the U.S. pushed for UN Security Council Resolution 2735, it claimed that Israel had accepted a ceasefire agreement. However, the reality is quite the opposite. We have not seen credible signs of Israel's commitment to a ceasefire; instead, there has been a continuous escalation of military actions and increasing civilian casualties. As the largest arms supplier, the U.S. has significant influence over Israel. We hope that the U.S. will demonstrate sincere and responsible action to urge Israel to promptly halt its military operations in Gaza and stop the killing of civilians," said Fu.

Fu said that China urges Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law by opening all border crossings and ensuring the rapid, large-scale, and safe entry of humanitarian aid.

China also expressed serious concern over reports of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers and has called for an investigation and accountability for these actions, Fu said.

China urges Israel to immediately cease all settlement activities, effectively curb the escalating violence of settlers, and stop undermining the foundation of the two-state solution, he noted.

Fu also said that the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's remarks about starving Gaza people is totally unacceptable and that civilians must not be used as bargaining chips for negotiations.

Smotrich, a right-wing minister known for his hostile ideas toward Palestinians, said at a press conference hosted by the Israel Hayom newspaper earlier this month that preventing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was "morally justified."

"No one will allow us to cause the death of two million civilians from starvation, even if it might be justified and moral in order to return our hostages," he said.

"Recently, an Israeli senior official said that starving 2 million Gaza residents is justified and moral. Such a shocking statement is entirely unacceptable. Hunger should not be weaponized, humanitarian issues should not be politicized, and civilian lives should not become bargaining chips in negotiations," said Fu.

Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

Chinese envoy strongly condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school

China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes U.S. abuse of Section 301 to hike tariffs on some Chinese goods, the Ministry of Commerce said Saturday.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Friday announced final modifications concerning the statutory review of the tariff actions toward China under Section 301.

China has repeatedly lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side concerning the Section 301 tariffs, said a spokesperson for the ministry.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has already ruled that the Section 301 tariffs violate WTO rules. However, instead of rectifying its wrongdoings, the U.S. side further increases tariffs on Chinese products, adding one mistake to another, said the spokesperson.

The move is a typical practice of unilateralism and trade protectionism, said the spokesperson, adding that it seriously undermines the international trade order, as well as the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.

Moreover, the move not only fails to solve the United States' own problems concerning trade deficits and industrial competitiveness, but also pushes up prices of U.S. imports and forces U.S. companies and consumers to bear the additional costs.

The 2024 Report on WTO Compliance of the United States, which was released Thursday by the ministry, once again expressed serious concern over the U.S. abuse of Section 301, and pointed out that the United States is a "disrupter of global industrial and supply chains."

The U.S. side had previously sought public opinions on the results of the Section 301 tariff review. The majority of opinions either opposed the imposition of additional tariffs or requested broader tariff exemptions.

This shows the Section 301 tariffs are unpopular among the U.S. public, said the spokesperson.

The United States should rectify its wrongdoings immediately and remove all additional tariffs on Chinese goods, the spokesperson said, adding that China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the interests of Chinese enterprises.

China firmly opposes U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese goods: commerce ministry