Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks at a meeting on Member States' Counter-Terrorism Priorities in the Post COVID-19 Environment in New York city, US on July 10, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Thursday asked the United States to lift unilateral sanctions on Syria.

The unilateral coercive measures are damaging the Syrian economy, destroying livelihoods of civilians, and undermining Syria's capacity to respond to COVID-19, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations

Years of unilateral sanctions have caused tremendous hardships to the Syrian people, and must be lifted immediately. The unilateral coercive measures are damaging the Syrian economy, destroying livelihoods of civilians, and undermining Syria's capacity to respond to COVID-19, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

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The UN secretary-general, his special envoy for Syria and the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs have repeatedly appealed for the waiver of sanctions, he told the Security Council. "China strongly urges the United States to respond actively to these urgent appeals and lift unilateral sanctions without delay."

The UN Secretariat and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should pay high attention to this issue, strengthen research and analysis in this regard and report to the Security Council, said Zhang.

He called on all stakeholders, especially UN agencies, to increase input and coordination in humanitarian operations in Syria.

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"We welcome the recent progress in cross-line humanitarian operations. There have been missions from Damascus to both the northeast and northwest. We call on the UN to continue strengthening cooperation with the Syrian government, and scale up cross-line operations in combination with cross-border deliveries."

Donor countries should fulfill their commitment of assistance to Syria as soon as possible. Assistance should not come with preconditions, nor should they be used as tools for political agenda or pressuring the Syrian government, said Zhang.

The economic situation in Syria is extremely fragile. The international community should support the Syrian government to revitalize the economy, he said.

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The Syrian government has made commendable efforts, in order to improve the livelihoods of the Syrian people, including implementing agricultural reform, helping small businesses, facilitating inter-governorate transportation, and combating the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The international community should support Syria's endeavor with concrete actions and assistance. In addition, the international community should support Syria to defend its sovereignty and manage its own natural resources. Syria's oil fields belong to the Syrian people and cannot be subject to illegal foreign plundering, said Zhang.