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China Condemns U.S. Airstrikes Against Iraq

December 17, 1998

China condemned the U.S. airstrikes against Iraq and urged the U.S. to halt all its military actions immediately, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on December 17, 1998. China's official response came after the UN Security Council's emergency consultations on Iraq adjourned and shortly after the U.S. began airstrikes against Iraq at 0:49 a.m. local time (21:49 GMT) on Thursday.

Sun Yuxi, the newly-installed spokesman, said, "We feel shocked at the U.S. military strikes against Iraq."

He accused the U.S. of having no authorization by the UN Security Council and unilaterally using force against Iraq, saying, "This has violated the UN Charter and the international norms." Sun stressed that China has always stood for peaceful means to solve international disputes and is opposed to the use of force in international relations.

Earlier, Qin Huasun, China's Permanent Representative to the UN, said: "The use of force will not only have serious consequences for the implementation of the Security Council resolutions, but also pose a threat to international peace as well as regional security."