Flow of foreign extremists, financing for terrorism 'have become easier'

A Chinese envoy said on Tuesday that Beijing is firmly opposed to terrorism in all forms, as UN officials have warned that foreign terrorist fighters who are returning home or being relocated in third countries as a result of major military defeats of the Islamic State group pose a global threat.

Speaking before the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Wu Haitao, the charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, said China is ready to join hands with other countries and international organizations to jointly address the threat of terrorism and maintain world peace and stability.

As an important participant in international counterterrorism efforts, China has actively participated in multilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as the UN-Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Global Counterterrorism Forum.

He said the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and financing for terrorism have become easier, more hidden and more international. Internet and social media are being used by terrorist organizations to conduct incitement, recruit terrorist fighters and plan terrorist attacks.

The international community should firmly block the use of social media for spreading extremist ideologies, strengthen internet supervision and stop terrorist groups from using the internet to expand and finance their activities, he said.

Wu also called for respecting the diversity of civilizations and tackling the root causes of terrorism, namely wars and conflicts, ethnic hatred and poverty and backwardness.

Vladimir Voronkov, UN undersecretary-general for counterterrorism, told the Security Council: "There are at least 5,600 fighters from 33 countries who have returned home. Many returnees are very well trained and equipped to carry out attacks in their own countries; others hope to radicalize and recruit new followers to their cause; there is a number of those who have rejected terrorist ideologies and pose no threat to society."

This is a truly global challenge that demands an urgent and concerted multilateral response," he said, adding that more than 40,000 foreign terrorist fighters from more than 110 countries might have traveled to join terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

As the IS has suffered great losses on the battlefield in Syria and Iraq, a significant number of terrorists are trying to relocate to countries such as Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan, he said.

Wu called terrorism a common enemy of mankind.

"Facing this challenge, the international community must realize that we are all in a community with a shared future," he said.

Wu appealed to bring in-house counterterrorism cooperation into full play.

"The leading role of the UN and the Security Council is to respect the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of all countries, follow a uniform standard and reject the practice of associating terrorism with specific ethnicities or religions," he said.

In recent years, terrorist forces have carried out violent attacks around the world.

In response to the unpredictable nature of terrorism, with foreign terrorist fighters becoming more organized and the means of attack becoming more diversified, Wu proposed that comprehensive measures must be taken to remove both the symptoms and the root causes of terrorism.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 11/30/2017 page11)