China Calls for Efforts to Promote Olympic Spirit for Peace, Development

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 ◆ China Calls for Efforts to Promote Olympic Spirit for Peace, Development

China Tuesday called on the international community to stick to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, promote the Olympic spirit for peace and development in the world.

The statement came as Shen Guofang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, was taking the floor at the General Assembly on the issue of "building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal."

Today, mankind has already stepped into the 21st century, Shen said. "Countries in the world should continue to stick to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, promote the Olympic spirit vigorously, seek peaceful solutions of international disputes and regional conflicts, enhance understanding and friendship among civilizations through dialogue and exchange, and work for the continuous global social and economic development through cooperation."

"East or west, north or south, the common aspiration of people all over the world today is that the 21st century would be a new century marking human development and progress," he said.

"The Olympic spirit, initiated more than two thousand years ago, is a distillation of humanity's effort to seek self development and fulfillment," he said. "Over this long period of time, the Olympic ideal have never wavered ever since Mr. Pierre de Coubertin initiated the modern Olympic games at the end of 19th century."

The establishment of the United Nations as well as the purposes and principles of its Charter and the efforts it has since made for world peace and common economic development have also contributed in no small way to promoting the development of the Olympic games, he said.

"The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11 have constituted a fundamental violation of the Olympic ideal as well as a serious challenge to human civilization," he said. "The international community should strengthen its cooperation against terrorism, combat terrorism in all forms and strive to eradicate its root causes."

On July 13, the city of Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, he said. "The world has seen the love and respect of a rising ancient Oriental civilization for the Olympic spirit and its aspiration for and pursuit of world peace, friendship and development."

"We believe that holding the Olympic games in China, a country with a history of five thousand years, will not only represent the full recognition by the world of China's great achievements since it adopted the reform and opening-up policy, but also offer a good opportunity for exchange between Oriental and Occidental civilizations," he said.

"China will prove with real action that Beijing will give the world the outstanding Olympic games," he said.(People's Daily)