UN General Assembly
2013

abject poverty? Science and technology have brought about outstanding advancement, so why have natural disasters, epidemics and pollution become increasingly severe and unpredictable? Those questions impose an enormous responsibility on all of us, as the community of nations. Throughout history, wars have destroyed many civilizations. In only the past 100 years, two world wars and many others — including that in Viet Nam — have cost millions of lives and produced devastating consequences over generations. While peace, cooperation and development are the dominant trend, the threat of war is ever present. Violence in the Middle East and North Africa is of grave concern. The latest instance in Syria, involving the use of chemical weapons, needs to be strongly condemned. We must give peace every possible chance and find solutions to eliminate chemical weapons, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions. Unpredictable developments in the Korean peninsula persist. Territorial disputes still rage in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Just one single incident or ill-conceived act could trigger conflict, or even war.