Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon in the global fight against COVID-19, a Chinese envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Conflict-affected countries are the weakest link in this fight. Helping them build a strong line of defense is most important for ensuring victory over the pandemic and consolidating peacebuilding gains, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

China calls on all parties to conflict to respond to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal for a global cease-fire as soon as possible, lay down their arms, and work together to fight COVID-19, he told an open debate of the Security Council on pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace.

Zhang called for support for the efforts of the United Nations and the World Health Organization to strengthen policy coordination among countries and to channel more resources to conflict-affected countries to help them deal with COVID-19.

China appreciates and supports the assistance to relevant countries by UN peacekeeping operations. It supports the Peacebuilding Commission in providing tailored response and reconstruction programs for countries, and encourages the Peacebuilding Fund to reprioritize its projects and resources for that purpose, said Zhang.

Unilateral sanctions are seriously undermining the capacity of targeted countries in responding to the pandemic and safeguarding livelihoods, making innocent civilians the biggest victims, he said. "We once again strongly urge relevant countries to acknowledge the negative humanitarian consequences and immediately lift their unilateral coercive measures."

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has been actively engaged in the global fight and has been doing its utmost to support and assist countries in need, said Zhang, adding that China is ready to continue providing medical supplies to affected countries, share experience in diagnosis and treatment, and send medical experts to those countries.