May I begin by thanking Ethiopia and the Russian Federation for their iniative in convening today’s open meeting. We welcome Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov. We stand ready to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office under his leadership. We also wish to thank Ambassador Aboulatta, Chair of Counter-Terrorism Committee, and Mr. Scharia, Officer-in-Charge of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, for the briefings.

Terrorism is the common enemy of all humankind. The international community must use uniform standards. We must resolutely fight terrorists no matter where they are, what flag they fly, which country they attack or whatever means they employ. In countering terrorism, the sovereignty of the countries concerned must be respected, the leadership role of the United Nations and the Security Council must be given full play and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations must be observed.

Terrorism must not be associated with any particular ethnicity or religion. The international community should promote the use of political means and dialogue to address regional conflicts and eradicate the root causes that give rise to terrorism. Countries should enhance border control and law-enforcement cooperation and disrupt the network by which terrorists operate. More robust efforts should be made to combat terrorism financing. The international community should undertake pragmatic and results-oriented cooperation by joining hands to combat the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes such as terrorist propaganda, financing, recruitment, incitement and planning.

In recent years, the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), as an important platform of the Security Council in dealing with counter-terrorism issues, has closely monitored the new terrorist threats and trends and facilitated the comprehensive implementation of the relevant Council resolutions by Member States. The CTC works in close coordination with other United Nations entities to advance the international counterterrorism agenda, which has produced positive and effective results.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) is the executive arm of the CTC. Through country visits and assessments, it assists Member States in identifying deficiencies and challenges they face, while facilitating the exchange of counter-terrorism experience and providing technical assistance to Member States. In that way, it plays an important role in strengthening the capacity of Member States to combat terrorism.

China supports the enhanced cooperation among the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, the CTC, CTED and the Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1540 (2001), according to the respective mandates of Security Council and General Assembly relating to counter-terrorism, to assist Member States in the full implementation of the relevant counter-terrorism resolutions of the Security Council and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Along with the broader membership of the international community, China will continue to strictly implement the relevant Council resolutions and proactively promote international counter-terrorism cooperation so as to maintain international peace and security.