Madam President,

We voted in favor of the resolution on the AU Transition Mission in Somalia.

Currently, the security situation in Somalia remains challenging, making it necessary for the international community to keep up its support to Somalia on the security front. During its 15-year deployment in Somalia, AMISOM has been an important contributor to the security and stability in the country. China would like to pay tribute to the AU and the T/PCCs for their contributions and sacrifices. Following a period of intensive consultations, Somalia, AU and UN and other stakeholders, agreed on the future arrangements for AMISOM to be reconfigured into ATMIS. China supports the Council's development of a mandate for ATMIS in accordance with the UN-AU joint proposal and the AUPSC communique, and hopes that all parties concerned will strengthen coordination in the process of ATMIS mandate implementation, and work closely with the Somali Government to help it gradually take over the primary responsibility for national security.

Thank you.