Thank you, Mr. President,

I thank Special Envoy Kubiš for his briefing, and welcome Prime Minister of Libya, Foreign Minister of Germany, and Secretary-General of the LAS for their presence at today's meeting.

With the support of the international community and the joint efforts of all Libyan parties, the ceasefire has been maintained on the whole, and the parties are committed to ending the war and pushing Libya onto peace and reconstruction through the general elections to be held December this year. At the same time, there was still many challenges for all parties to reach a comprehensive and inclusive consensus on the future of their country. The promotion of the political process in Libya is at a critical stage, and that requires all parties to strengthen dialogue and consultation, accumulate and expand consensus in the interest of the country and the people of Libya. The future of Libya is in the hands of the Libyan people. It is our hope that all Libyan parties will seize this historic opportunity to jointly promote the country's long-term stability and sustainable development. I would like to mention the following points.

First, firmly advance the process of political transition. At present, the Libyan Government of National Unity is actively preparing for general election and holding reconciliation conferences. Many efforts have been made to unify the central bank and other state institutions. This important progress needs to be recognized. At the Berlin II Conference on Libya held last month, the international community reaffirmed its firm support for a Libyan-owned and Libyan-led political process, as well as the sovereignty, independence territorial integrity and national unity of Libya. China hopes that all parties will respond positively to the expectations of the international community, strengthen dialogue and consultation, properly resolve outstanding issues such as the constitutional basis of the general election, and hold elections according to the roadmap. China supports UNSMIL in following the Council’s mandate to actively coordinate more practical actions so as to determine the legal framework and overall arrangements for the election, and help that Libyan Government advance preparations for the general election.

Second, resolutely maintain peace and stability. All Libyan parties need to make every effort to consolidate the ceasefire. China welcomes the new government's announcement to open the Sirte coastal highway. This is an important measure to implement the ceasefire monitoring mechanism. China looks forward to an early deployment of the UNSMIL ceasefire monitoring team. The team should ensure its objective and impartial performance. Organized and orderly withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries has an important effect on the maintenance of Libyan and regional security. The Council's Arria-formula meeting last month also expressed similar concerns. China calls on all parties concerned to strengthen consultations on arrangements for the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries, take into full account the concerns of neighboring countries, strengthen regional and coordinated action, and through DDR programs and security sector reform, effectively address the issues of arms proliferation and the infiltration of armed groups into neighboring countries, so as to avoid increasing risks of regional security.

Third, increase support for post-conflict reconstruction. Since the establishment of the Libyan Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Dbeibeh, a great deal of work has been done to promote financial reform, stabilize oil production, improve public services, and carry out foreign cooperation. At present, Libya faces many difficulties and challenges in national reconstruction. 1.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. China calls on the Libyan parliament to speed up the review and approval of the unified national budget and provide financial guarantee for public services, health care and education. It is hoped that the international partners will actively participate in Libya’s reconstruction, support economic recovery and development, and increase humanitarian assistance. Recently, the COVID 19 pandemic has rebounded. The international community should continue to support the Libyan government in fighting that pandemic and provide vaccine assistance. In addition, the frozen assets of the Libyan Government is the common wealth of the people and should be used for the Libyan construction and development. China once again closed on the sanctions committee to respond to the concerns of Libya, speed up the study on the loss of frozen assets, and put forward practical solutions and measures.

Mr. President,

It is critically important that the Council continues to maintain unity on the Libyan issue. China supports the UN in continuing to play a leading role in advancing a political solution to the Libyan issue. We would like to work together with the international community to help the Libyan people embark on the path of peaceful development, and contribute to lasting stability and prosperity.

I thank you, Mr. President.