China would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov for his briefing, and the Secretary-General for his report (S/2018/80) on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat.

There have been terrorist attacks recently in Afghanistan, Iraq and Egypt, among other places, that have resulted in enormous casualties. As humankind’s shared enemy, terrorism has ramifications that extend beyond national borders and that countries cannot deal with single-handedly. The international community should work to effectively implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2253 (2015) and 2368 (2017) and join in combating the evolving threat of terrorism in line with its new trends and features.

First, we should forge an international consensus against terrorism, which poses a threat to the whole of humankind. The international community should support a unified standard and take a zero-tolerance and non-discriminatory approach in implementing a firm crackdown. The world’s counter-terrorism efforts should respect the sovereignty of the countries affected and their ownership in the fight against terrorism, adhere to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and make full use of the leading role of the United Nations and its Security Council.

Secondly, we should eliminate terrorism’s breeding grounds. Terrorism grows out of wars, conflict, ethnic hatred, poverty and backwardness. The international community should be committed to helping Member States to reduce and eradicate poverty, increase efforts to reach political solutions to regional issues, promote the concept of inclusive, equitable and balanced development, foster dialogue and equal and peaceful relations between different civilizations and regions, and resist linking terrorism to specific ethnicities or religions.

Thirdly, we should work to break up terrorists’ transboundary networks. Terrorist organizations have recently sustained major defeats in Iraq, Syria and the southern Philippines, but the international movements and return of terrorist fighters still pose a serious threat to countries of origin, transit and destination and their security and stability. The countries concerned should strengthen their border controls and cooperation in law enforcement, share intelligence, improve their capacity-building and curb terrorist fighters’ movements.

Fourthly, we should crack down on terrorist organizations’ use of the Internet in order to engage in terrorist activities. The Internet and social media are increasingly becoming the means by which terrorist organizations incite and recruit fighters and plot attacks. The international community should work to create synergies aimed at eliminating the channels used to propagate extremist ideas through social media, strengthen the regulation of cyberspace and prevent terrorist organizations from using the Internet for propaganda and financing activities.

In the past few years, China has engaged intensively with multilateral cooperation mechanisms that include the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, and has made significant contributions to the international fight against terrorism. China supports the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, among others, in their efforts to strengthen their cooperation with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism. We will continue to join and promote multilateral and bilateral cooperation against terrorism and provide assistance to developing countries, including materials for countering terrorism and building capacity, to the best of our ability. China is ready to join all countries of the world in a concerted response to terrorism and violent extremism in order to maintain world peace and tranquility.