Chinese UN Ambassador Urges Compliance with Olympic Truce Resolution

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] As military tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate, China, which is preparing to host the Beijing Winter Olympics, has urged the international community to adhere to the 'Olympic Truce Resolution.'

According to Chinese local media such as the People's Daily on the 27th, Zhang Jun, China's ambassador to the United Nations, stated at the UN Security Council's public debate on the 25th on the topic of 'Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare,' "We urge compliance with the Olympic Truce Resolution," adding, "When the UN General Assembly passed the 'Beijing Winter Olympics Truce Resolution' last December, 173 countries co-sponsored it, demonstrating the international community's political consensus wishing for a truce among the parties involved in the conflict."

The Olympic Truce Resolution refers to the ancient Greek tradition during the Olympic Games when city-states would cease hostilities to allow their citizens to participate in or watch the games. This tradition, called 'Ekecheiria' in Greek, meaning sacred truce, was revived as a UN General Assembly resolution during the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway and has continued to this day.

According to the Beijing Winter Olympics Truce Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last month, all UN member states must cease hostilities from January 28, one week before the Olympic opening day, until March 20, seven days after the Paralympic closing day. Russia has also expressed support for this resolution.

However, the Olympic Truce Resolution is not a UN Security Council resolution that imposes binding obligations like international law, so it lacks enforceability. Previously, Russia violated the truce resolution once by attacking Georgia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.