China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Monday urged the U.N. Security County to take all necessary actions as fast as possible to deal with the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Addressing a Security Council meeting, Fu said facts have proved that any delay of the U.N. Security Council only means greater damage and more civilian deaths and injuries.

After the United States vetoed a latest U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Nov. 20, hundreds of civilians have died and the situation is slipping to a more dangerous direction, Fu said.

Fu stressed that immediate effort should be made to achieve unconditional and long-lasting ceasefire, which is an important prerequisite for saving lives. He added that barriers to humanitarian aid access must be removed. The implementation of international humanitarian law is a non-negotiable obligation and cannot be used as a bargaining chip. Any unilateral attempts trying to undermine the two-state solution must be resisted.

Fu pointed out the U.N. Security Council must prevent a larger-scale regional conflict. The current situation in the Middle East is precarious. Israel must put aside its obsession with the use of force, stop its attacks against Lebanon, Syria, Iran and other countries, and stop its provocative and adventurous actions.

"The ongoing Gaza conflict is the biggest stress test the United Nations has ever faced in the Middle East. We believe it first tests the U.N. Security Council members' ability to save lives and maintain peace, the determination to uphold the international rule of law and justice, and the willingness to defend the authority of the U.N. Security Council mechanism and its resolutions," Fu said.

"So far, due to the negative attitude of some countries, the Security Council's performance in this test has been incompetent. We call on some countries to face up to their responsibilities and support the Security Council in using all the options in its toolbox to take further action to achieve an immediate ceasefire and restore peace," he said.

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is on a four-day official visit to China, leading a delegation of executives from more than 20 Finnish companies seeking new business opportunities.

Christoph Vitzthum, president and CEO of the Finnish food company Fazer Group, is among the delegation. He said the trip to China has provided him a new insight into the development of Chinese consumer market.

"It's remarkable to see how the Chinese consumer has developed and how much we as a company can learn from the Chinese market. Needless to say, the market is vast, but you have to be able to be relevant in a market. And if you see one of the big consumer trends in China, it's the same that we have been seeing in Europe for some years. That's health and well-being - less sugar, less fat, more fiber, more healthy products. As the Chinese economy has developed, as the Chinese middle class has grown significantly, these themes are also now prevalent in the Chinese market," said Vitzthum.

Vitzthum said competition and consumer choice are beneficial for market growth and category expansion allows brands to differentiate themselves and strengthen brand positioning.

"The consumer in general loves choice. I don't see the competition as a problem. I see the category growth, be it in grain-based products or be it in chocolate, is a good thing. If you take for example milk chocolate, the Karl Futzer brand, which we have launched in China. In China, it's the only brand that is made from fresh milk. And when we have studied this with consumers, it resonates very well with the Chinese consumer. By comparing to alternatives, you can really promote your own brand and bring the things that we are standing for," he said.

As part of the agenda of Orpo's visit to Beijing, Chinese and Finnish enterprises signed multiple commercial agreements on Monday at the sixth meeting of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation.

Business leaders of the two countries engaged in lively discussions on cooperation in many fields including innovation, green development and digitalization.

Fazer CEO sees new opportunities for business cooperation with China