China welcomes the presence in the Security Council today of Mr. Angelino Alfano, Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, and we thank him for his briefing.

All over the world, a wide spectrum of challenges with increasingly complex risks are quickly emerging. No country can respond to them alone, and no country can remain immune. Global issues require global solutions. Collective security requires collective maintenance. While the United Nations is at the core of the international collective-security architecture, regional and subregional organizations also enjoy unique advantages in resolving regional hot-spot issues. China supports enhancing the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, with the aim of jointly maintaining international peace and security. The cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations should firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations while working diligently to address hot-spot issues through dialogue and consultation and engaging actively in preventive diplomacy with the aim of defusing and resolving disputes peacefully.

The OSCE is an important partner of the United Nations. In recent years it has been actively engaged in preventive diplomacy, promoting security and mutual trust among countries in the region and mediating regional disputes, efforts that China appreciates and applauds. We welcome Italy’s decision to designate dialogue, ownership and responsibility as its working motto during its chairship-in-office, and to respond actively to terrorism, illicit smuggling, transnational crimes and refugee crises, among other challenges. China supports practical and effective cooperation between the Security Council and the OSCE in the areas of peace and security, and we hope the OSCE continues to play an active and constructive role in upholding regional peace, security and stability.

We welcome all the positive efforts being made by all the parties concerned, including the OSCE, to find a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue. We hope that all the parties concerned will work to fully implement the relevant Security Council resolutions and the Minsk agreements, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive, lasting and balanced solution to the question of Ukraine through dialogue and consultation. The international community should continue to support the diplomatic efforts of all the parties concerned to arrive at a political settlement of the Ukrainian issue so as to collectively restore peace, stability and development in Ukraine as soon as possible.