Mr. President,

I thank Under-Secretary-General Mr. Lacroix, Ambassador Chergui, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, and Mr. Vervaeke, Managing Director for Africa at the European External Action Service for their briefings. I also welcome the participation of Foreign Minister of Central Africa Republic to the meeting.

The current political situation in Central African Republic is generally stable. Progress was made in implementing the Peace and Reconciliation Accord. China welcomes the efforts of the government of Central African Republic to engage in inclusive dialogues with armed groups, and commends the passage of several laws by National Assembly, including on the creation of the Commission on Truth, Justice, Reparations and Reconciliation. Meanwhile, we still see severe challenges arising from continued violent attacks by armed groups, which seriously endanger the safety of civilians, and the pandemic has added new complexities. The international community need to continue to provide support for Central African Republic for its lasting peace and development.

To hold successful elections is a priority task for the political process in Central African Republic this year, and it is essential for the maintenance of peace and stability in the country. We noted that the national electoral authority revised the election calendar according to the latest circumstance, and hope all parties in Central African Republic will enhance communication and coordination, and work together to carry forward the preparation process as scheduled. Differences related to the elections should be resolved through peaceful dialogue and consultation. The international community need to create an enabling environment for the smooth conduct of elections, and provide necessary support while respecting the ownership of the Central African Republic.

To achieve sustaining peace and stability in Central African Republic will need a holistic approach. The current focus should be on maintaining security and stability. We are concerned about the continuing violent conflicts among armed groups, and call on all parties to the conflict to positively respond to the Secretary-General’s appeal of global ceasefire. We call on all relevant parties to show political will, and continue the implementation of Peace and Reconciliation Accord. From a long-term perspective, the international community should assist the government of Central African Republic to improve its capacity of protecting the security of its people, providing social services, and promoting economic and social development, in order to help the country achieve sustaining peace through sustainable development. We will continue to support the work of the Special Representative and MINUSCA, and hope that MINUSCA will strengthen coordination with other United Nations agencies, regional and sub-regional organizations to create synergy.

Central African Republic is also facing serious challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The international community need to continue to provide material, technical, and personnel support. China has recently delivered the second batch of medical supplies to Central African Republic, including 150,000 surgical masks and 30,000 testing kits. During the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit On Solidarity Against COVID-19 held last week, President Xi Jinping emphasized that China will continue to do whatever it can to support Africa's response to COVID-19. We will start ahead of schedule the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters this year. We also pledge that once the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccine is completed in China, African countries will be among the first to benefit. China will continue to work with the international community, and help Central African Republic and other African countries to overcome the pandemic.

I thank you, Mr. President.