Mr. President，

In March this year, the Security Council mandated the Secretary-General to conduct an independent assessment to promote coordinated positions and actions of the international community on Afghanistan. China expresses its appreciation to the Special Coordinator and his team for their work, and is of the view that the recommendations contained in the assessment report are worthy of careful study.

China has always maintained that when dealing with hotspot issues, actions taken by this Council and the Secretary-General, including the appointment of Special Envoys, should be based on thorough communications with the countries concerned and respect for their opinions. We are therefore of the view that the follow-up by this Council to the independent assessment should also be taken in full communication with the Afghan authorities, respecting their opinions, with the decision to be made after extensive consultations with various stakeholders. A forcible appointment of a Special Envoy in disregard of the views of the country concerned may not only lead to the Special Envoy unable to discharge their functions at all, but also heighten the antagonism and confrontation between the international community and the Afghan authorities, which completely runs counter to the signal sent by the independent assessment to step up constructive engagement with the Afghan authorities.

It is obvious that currently Council members remain divided on the follow-up implementation of the assessment report, and the Afghan authorities, on the other hand, still have reservations on some recommendations, in light of which it seems hasty to force through the adoption of the resolution of the Council potentially with counterproductive effects. China and the Russian Federation expressed these concerns in the consultation and constructively proposed amendments to the draft of relevant issues, which however were not taken on board. It is deeply regrettable, and we have to abstain in the vote just now.

It is our hope that going forward, the Secretary-General will cautiously deal with the appointment of the Special Envoy, continue to strengthen communication and interaction with the Afghan authorities, and strive to find appropriate solutions. Afghanistan’s history in the last two decades has proven once and again that externally imposed solutions will only end in failure. The real solution to the Afghan issue ultimately lies with the Afghan people themselves. In this process, the international community shoot effectively communicate and engage with the Afghan authorities to provide support and assistance constructively.

I Thank you, Mr. President.