President, 

I thank Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza for her briefing, and welcome Her Excellency Sylvie Valerie Baipo-Temon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic, to this meeting.

Recently, the peace process in the CAR has been making continuous progress and the security situation has continued to improve. At the same time, there are still many challenges in peace and development. The international community should provide targeted support to the CAR Government according to its actual needs. I’ll make three points. 

First, China commends the CAR Government’s effort in actively promoting the implementation of the peace agreement with important progress made in such aspects as DDR, decentralization, and preparation for local elections. We call on armed groups that have not yet disarmed to cease hostilities and return to the track of political dialogue. We expect the international community to continue to provide financial and technical support for the CAR peace process and resolve such issues as election resources shortfall. 

Second, the overall security situation in the CAR is generally improving. However, armed attacks still occur from time to time. The international community and relevant partner countries should continue to support the CAR Government in strengthening security capacity and implementing security sector reform. At the same time, close attention should be paid to the spillover effects of the conflict in Sudan on the CAR, Support should be provided so that the CAR and neighboring countries can strengthen border control, curb the cross-border flow of armed elements, and combat cross-border crimes and illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons in order to maintain regional security. 

Third, the Secretary-General’s report pointed out that although the CR has achieved economic growth, the growth is slow and nearly half of the country’s population urgently needs humanitarian assistance. Partner countries and donors should honor their commitments and meet the humanitarian needs, while providing more support in areas such as poverty reduction, agriculture, and infrastructure to help the CAR enhance its capacity for independent development. 

President, 

Under the leadership of SRSG Valentine Rugwabiza, MINUSCA has made a lot of efforts to maintain peace and stability in the CAR and to promote economic development on the ground. China appreciates these efforts and will continue to support the work of the SRSG and MINUSCA. We expect that the report on the independent strategic assessment of MINUSCA will be completed soon as possible, with recommendations for optimizing and adjusting the mandate and staffing of the mission, so as to ensure that MINUSCA performs its students efficiently. 

Thank you, President.