China has acknowledged the harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).

Statements

China delivered a statement during the May 2019 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, drawing attention to the need to avoid EWIPA use in order to protect innocent civilians.[1]

Political declaration

China has also participated in the process toward a political declaration on EWIPA use. China has delivered one statement during the consultation process, which has met in 2019, 2020, and 2021. In response to a draft of the political declaration, China advocated for the document to directly reference the UN Charter in its principles. It also suggested adding a paragraph that reads as follows: “We recall that every state has the duty, in conformity with the UN Charter, to refrain in its international relations from the threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the UN Charter.”[2]

[1] UN Security Council, S/PV.8534 (2019). ‘UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Transcript’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.8534.

[2] Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will (2021). ‘Report on the March 2021 Consultations on a Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/15213-report-on-the-march-2021-consultations-on-a-political-declaration-on-the-use-of-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas