Mr. President,

For nine years running, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions calling upon states to abide by the Charter of the United Nations and norms of international law and urging them to refrain from imposing laws and measures that are detrimental to the legitimate rights and interests of third states. Regrettably, however, this just appeal of the international community has not been heeded to and relevant resolutions of the GA remain to be implemented.

The economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the US against Cuba has been there for several decades. It has done no good but keep the relationship between the two neighbors extremely tense. The blockade has created huge difficulties for the Cuban people in their efforts to achieve economic and social development and carry out reform; it has seriously undermined the efforts of the Cuban government to eliminate poverty and improve the living standards of its people; it has inflicted enormous sufferings on Cuban women and children in particular, which constitutes a violation of their human rights. The unilateral actions of the US have also impeded the normal economic and trade exchanges between Cuba and many countries and gravely encroached upon their legitimate rights and interests. It is time to bring such a phenomenon to an end immediately.

The Chinese government has always advocated full respect for sovereign equality, noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries and other norms of international relations. All countries have the right to choose their own social system and development modality in the light of the national situation, which brooks no interference from any other country. It is a violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as well as norms of international relations to force a country to give up the development modality of its own choice or even overturning its government by finding an excuse and imposing unilateral economic, commercial and financial embargo against it.

As we can see from the response of the Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as the statements by many countries in this regard, the international community as a whole has a strong desire for a certain country to forsake its outdated practice of economic embargo, adopt an approach of engagement and dialogue over isolation and confrontation and resolve its disputes with other countries through constructive dialogue and negotiation.

We hope that, to end the sufferings of the Cuban people at an early date and free the normal economic and trade exchanges between Cuba and other countries from interference, the US government will be able to follow the tide of history by taking constructive steps to implement relevant resolutions of the UN and completely lift its economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. We support the draft resolution entitled "Necessity of Ending the the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America against Cuba (A/56/L.9) " submitted by Cuba under this agenda item.

Thank you, Mr. President.