China calls for end to conflicts as best way to protect children

A Chinese representative to UN said Monday that the most direct and effective way of protecting children is to end conflict and violence, calling for greater efforts to promote peace.

"The most direct and effective way of protecting children is to end conflict and violence. China urges all parties to conflicts to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, cease hostilities, and strictly observe their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, so as to avoid attacks on children and civilian facilities such as schools," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said at a UN security meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate.

Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, briefed the Council, stating that in 2025, the UN verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children. This was the highest number of children affected in any single year since the mandate was established.

Fu said in his address that it is necessary to halt hostilities and promote peace, to safeguard children's well-being, improve mechanisms, strengthen accountability, empower development to promote children's welfare and work together to increase support for the Global South.

Noting that children in the occupied Palestinian territory, Haiti, and elsewhere are on the front lines of conflict and violence and have long suffered grave violations and threats, Fu said China supports the Security Council in resorting to necessary tools to ensure strict accountability for wanton abuses of children.

Development is the fundamental solution to the root causes of conflict, said Fu. UN members need to support the governments of the countries concerned in guaranteeing basic needs such as food, education, health care, and employment, and in improving the environment for children's growth and development, so that children can break free from the shadow of war and the cycle of violence, he said.

At the same time, it is important to bridge the digital divide and ensure that its benefits reach more countries in the Global South, Fu said.

China calls for end to conflicts as best way to protect children

China's domestic tourism market posted solid growth in terms of both trips and travel spending from January to September this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) said on Monday.

More than 5.3 billion domestic trips were made during the first nine months of 2026, up 6.2 percent year on year, data from a survey of domestic travelers conducted by the ministry revealed.

Urban residents accounted for over 4 billion trips, an increase of 6.6 percent from a year earlier, while rural residents made 1.27 billion trips, marking a 5.1-percent rise.

Domestic tourism spending expanded 2.2 percent year on year to 4.95 trillion yuan (about 737 billion U.S. dollars) during these nine months. Of the total, urban residents spent 4.14 trillion yuan, up 2.2 percent, while rural residents spent 810 billion yuan, rising 2.1 percent.

China aims to record 8.3 billion year-round domestic trips and 7.7 trillion yuan in year-round domestic travel spending by 2030, according to a five-year tourism development plan for the 2026-2030 period released by the MCT in July.

In 2025, the country saw more than 6.5 billion domestic trips, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, both setting new records.

China sees steady growth in domestic tourism over first 9 months of 2026