Mr. President,

First, I want to congratulate France on assuming the presidency of the Council for this month. And I would like to thank Estonia for successfully presiding over the Council last month. I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo and Acting Under-Secretary-General Rajasingham for their briefings, and welcome the presence at this meeting of Ethiopian Permanent Representative Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie Amde.

Ethiopia is an anchor of stability in the Horn of Africa, vital to regional peace and security. A peaceful and stable Ethiopia is the common wish of all Ethiopians, and other African countries and the international community at large would want nothing less.

China has been closely following the situation in the Tigray region. The Government of Ethiopia has recently announced a unilateral ceasefire in the state of Tigray to restore normalcy in farming and humanitarian operations in the region, which China welcomes. We look forward to a comprehensive ceasefire in Tigray, and support the parties concerned to resolve their differences through political dialogue, so that all people in Ethiopia, including those in the state of Tigray, can enjoy peace and stability on their way towards development and prosperity. China supports the AU’s continued constructive role and welcomes the assistance extended to Ethiopia by AU Commission Chairperson Faki.

For some time now, the Government of Ethiopia has been actively responding to the humanitarian needs in Tigray, offering relief to the population in distress, reopening local economy, getting life back to normal, and providing full humanitarian access with positive results. Humanitarian operations in Tigray are dogged by dire shortages of resources, which makes it imperative for the international community to scale up its emergency humanitarian assistance. In this process, the UN humanitarian principles must be fully respected. The Chinese Government's food aid will be arriving in short order, and COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Ethiopia also benefit the people in Tigray. China appreciates the tremendous amount of work done by international humanitarian agencies to alleviate the plight of the local population, strongly condemns the attacks targeting humanitarian workers, and noticed that the Government of Ethiopia has launched an investigation into these attacks.

Right now, Ethiopia's effort to keep peace and development on track is still being challenged in many ways. China is also closely following the development in Tigray. However, the Tigray issue is an internal affair of Ethiopia, and we believe in the wisdom and ability of the Ethiopian people to find a proper solution. The international community, while helping solve the Tigray issue, must fully respect the sovereignty and ownership of Ethiopia, as the purpose of such assistance is to work together to help the country overcome difficulties and maintain peace and stability both in Ethiopia and in the region. When dealing with this issue, the Security Council should carefully and prudently calibrate the timing and the approach taken to make sure that whatever this Council does will contribute to improving the situation in Tigray other than the opposite. China stands ready to work with the rest of the international community to this end.

I thank you, Mr. President.